Company Woman
by BeChloeIsLegit
Summary: Prompt from Electronic Zappas: It always seems that Chloe is the one getting married and Beca is left pining over her/cutting off contact. What if this time, Beca is the one getting married (to some woman) and Chloe's the one pining and regretting that she missed her chance? [I had started writing a story along those lines and decided to combine the two.]
1. Chapter 1

**Chloe - POV**

I walked in the door of my penthouse apartment and kicked off my shoes. I dropped the mail on the kitchen counter and poured myself a glass of wine. I sat down at the counter and went through the mail. There was a green envelope with a return address from Aubrey Posen. I opened it and found an invitation to a 5 year reunion for the members of the Barden Bellas that Aubrey Posen had put together. The first all female group to win the ICCA National Championship. It was going to be held in Atlanta, near Barden University.

I looked at the invitation. I hadn't really seen or spoken to any of the Bellas since I graduated 5 years ago. Aubrey and I had been best friends all through college but we hadn't really kept in touch for the past few years. I had no one to blame for this but myself. After what I did to Beca Mitchell, none of the Bellas really wanted to have anything to do with me. I felt so guilty about what happened that I stopped talking to Aubrey because she was still friends with Beca and I couldn't handle it.

I've been keeping tabs on all the Bellas; especially Aubrey and Beca. Aubrey had become a lawyer and was working for her father's law firm in Chicago. Beca had made it big as a music producer and artist in LA. She had already won about 8 music awards for her own albums as well as for producing other artists in the 5 short years she'd be in LA. I knew where they were and what they were doing. What I didn't know is if either of them wanted to even see or speak to me again.

I put the invitation down, and picking up my wine glass, I thought back to the last time I saw Beca Mitchell.

 _****5 Years Ago (Barden University Graduation)****_

 _I had been standing and looking around hoping to find Beca so I could talk to her before my dad found me. Suddenly, Aubrey and Beca both came up to me._

 _Aubrey hugged me first. "Chlo!," she said. "Can you believe it - we're college graduates!"_

 _"I know," I said, "I didn't think we'd ever get here."_

 _Aubrey moved aside and Beca grabbed me in a hug. She kissed me on the cheek and whispered in my ear, "Congratulations, babe!"_

 _I was about to ask Beca if we could go somewhere to talk when I heard someone calling my name. I looked around and saw my dad and Ray walking toward us. I subtly moved away from Beca and turned and ran into my father's arms. He grabbed me up and said, "We're so proud of you, Chloe."_

 _Ray stood back and just smiled at us. I turned back to Beca and Aubrey. "Daddy," I said, "You remember Aubrey?"_

 _"Nice to see you again, Mr. Beale," Aubrey said._

 _"Nice to see you, too, Aubrey," my dad said._

 _"And this is Beca Mitchell," I said pointing to Beca. "She's my, um, other best friend."_

 _I noticed that Beca had a hurt look in her eyes when I introduced her as my "other best friend." I looked at her pleadingly with a "just go with it" look._

 _"Nice to meet you, Mr. Beale," Beca said._

 _"Pleasure's all mine," my dad said and shook Beca's hand. My dad then turned to me and pointed at Ray and said, "Chloe! Where are your manners? Aren't you going to introduce your fiance to your friends?"_

 _"Shit," I thought. "This is not how this was supposed to happen." I noticed that when my dad said the word fiance, both Beca and Aubrey's heads shot up looking at me."Um, yeah," I said. "Sorry about that. Ray, these are my two best friends Aubrey Posen and Beca Mitchell. Aubrey, Beca, this is my, um, fiance Ray Matthews."_

 _"Nice to meet you both," said Ray reaching out to shake hands._

 _"Nice to meet you, too," Aubrey said shaking his hand._

 _He reached his hand out toward Beca. Beca looked at his hand and looked over at me. I couldn't look at her and was staring at the ground._

 _Beca finally shook Ray's hand and quietly said, "Nice to meet you, too."_

 _Ray put his arm around my waist and stood there grinning like an idiot. All I wanted to do was grab Beca and tell her it wasn't what it looked like. I didn't though. I just stood there like a coward. I could see tears forming in Beca's eyes as she looked directly at me and said, "I really need to go. I'm supposed to meet some, um, friends and I don't want to be late."_

 _I noticed how she put extra emphasis on the word "friends" and my heart sank. I touched her arm and said, "Becs," but before I could say anything else Beca shrugged my hand off, said, "Don't!" and quickly walked away._

 _I watched her leave, tears forming in my eyes. Aubrey watched Beca leave and looked at me. "You have some serious explaining to do," she mouthed to me and walked off._

 _"You two ready for lunch, Chlo?," my dad asked looking at me and Ray._

 _Before I could say anything, Ray squeezed my waist and said "Let's go. I'm starving."_

 _****End of Flashback****_

I wiped the tears from my face and poured another glass of wine. "Don't." That was the last thing Beca had ever said to me her. I had gone to look for Beca the next morning to try and explain things but she was gone. All of her stuff had been packed up and taken away while everyone was out at the various graduation parties the night before. She didn't say goodbye or tell anyone where she was going. I tried texting and calling her for days but Beca never responded. Beca finally had her number disconnected.

Five years after graduation and I was not necessarily where I wanted to be, but where I was, according to my father, supposed to be. My father had spent the first 2 years after I graduated grooming me to be his successor as the President and CEO of the Beale Corporation. My father resigned from the post 3 years ago and I took over.

The first thing I did was to divorce Ray, my husband of less than two years. It wasn't a real marriage in any sense of the word. It was an business arrangement that our fathers made to bring together the two family corporations. The Matthews' played my father; their business was in worse shape than we knew. The ink had barely dried on our Marriage Certificate when the Matthews' used the Beale name to get millions of dollars in loans to keep their company on their feet. After a year the loans were due and the Matthews' couldn't pay. I convinced her dad to buy the loans and take complete control of the Matthews Company.

Ray had cheated on me every chance he got. Not that I cared; I didn't want him. I hired a private detective to get proof of his infidelity and received a folder that was 4 inches thick on all of his indiscretions. I was able to use it to keep him from contesting the divorce. Although it still took me paying him 5 million dollars to just walk away before our marriage was officially over.

I picked up the invitation and decided to call Aubrey. Who knows maybe Aubrey will forgive me for being a lousy friend and, maybe, just maybe, she'll know if Beca is going to attend the reunion.

 **Aubrey - POV**

"Aubrey Posen," I said as I answered my phone.

"Hi, Aubrey," Chloe said. "It's Chloe. Chloe Beale."

"Chloe? How are you?," I asked.

"I'm good," Chloe responded. "I got the invitation to the Bellas reunion and wanted to RSVP. I will be attending and look forward to seeing everyone."

"That's good to hear," I said. "Will you be bringing your husband?"

"Uh, no," Chloe said and added, "We're divorced so it will just be me."

"Oh," was all I could think to say.

"So, has anyone else RSVPed yet?," Chloe asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"Just you, Jessica, and Ashley so far," I told her. I knew what Chloe was really asking, but I wasn't going to tell her that Beca had agreed to not only attend but to perform as well. I also wasn't going to be the one to tell her that Beca was bringing a plus one.

"Oh," said Chloe. "Um, it will be great to see them."

There is silence as neither girl could think of what to say next.

Chloe took a deep breath and sighed. "I miss you, Brey," she said tears forming in her eyes. "I've been a really shitty friend and have no excuse for not keeping in touch."

"I miss you too, Chlo," I told her honestly. "I'm not exactly friend of the year either. I could have tried to stay in touch as well, and I didn't. I guess the whole trying to keep my friendships with you and Beca separate just made it easy to not pursue you when you stopped calling."

"I felt the same way," Chloe said. "I couldn't stand that you were still friends. I wanted to ask you about her every time we talked. It just hurt too much."

"I get it, Chlo," I tell her. "But now that we're talking, let's keep in touch. You were, are, my best friend and I don't want to lose you again."

"Thanks, Brey," Chloe said. "I have to go but we'll talk again, soon. Okay?"

"Definitely," I said. "Bye, Chlo."

I hung up the phone and thought back to our graduation day.

 _****5 Years Ago (Barden University Graduation)****_

 _I found Beca wandering around in search of Chloe. She finds me first and hugs me saying, "Congratulations, Brey!,"_

 _"Thanks, Mitchell," I said. "Have you seen Chloe?"_

 _Chloe and Beca had been dating since practically the first day of the school year. They met and just clicked. Chloe had asked Beca to keep their relationship quiet until she could get her family used to her dating a girl. Beca still had not met the Beale family and Chloe had not told them about Beca._

 _"No," Beca said. "I've been looking for her but haven't found her yet. We can look for her together."_

 _We walked around for about 5 minutes before we found the redhead standing and looking around._

 _We went up to Chloe and I hugged her first. "Chlo!," I said. "Can you believe it - we're college graduates!"_

 _"I know," said Chloe. "I didn't think we'd ever get here."_

 _I moved aside and Beca grabbed Chloe in a hug. She kissed her on the cheek and whispered something in Chloe's ear._

 _Chloe pulled out of the hug and was about to speak when someone called her name. She looked around and saw her dad and another younger man walking toward her. She turned and ran into her father's arms. He grabbed her up and said, "We're so proud of you Chloe."_

 _The young man stood back and just smiled at them. "Daddy," Chloe said, "You remember Aubrey?"_

 _"Nice to see you again, Mr. Beale," I said._

 _"Nice to see you, too, Aubrey," Mr. Beale said._

 _"And this is Beca Mitchell," Chloe said pointing to Beca. "She's my, um, other best friend."_

 _I noticed that Chloe had introduced Beca as her "friend." I could see it bothered Beca; a lot._

 _"Nice to meet you, Mr. Beale," Beca said._

 _"Pleasure's all mine," said Mr. Beale shaking Beca's hand. He turned to Chloe and pointed at the other man that was with him and said, "Chloe! Where are your manners? Aren't you going to introduce your fiance to your friends?"_

 _At the word fiance, my head shot up to look at Chloe. "Um, yeah," Chloe said. "Sorry about that. Ray, these are my two best friends Aubrey Posen and Beca Mitchell. Aubrey, Beca, this is my, um, fiance, Ray Matthews."_

 _"Nice to meet you both," said Ray reaching out to shake hands._

 _"Nice to meet you, too," I said politely, shaking his hand._

 _He reached his hand out toward Beca. Beca looked at his hand and looked over at Chloe. Chloe was staring at the ground and wouldn't look at her._

 _Beca limply shook Ray's hand and quietly said, "Nice to meet you, too."_

 _Beca and Chloe's demeanor both changed. I don't know what was going on with Chloe but I could see Beca shutting down. I saw what looked like tears in Beca's eyes. She looked directly at Chloe and said, "I really need to go. I'm supposed to meet some, um, friends and I don't want to be late."_

 _I noticed, and I'm sure Chloe did too, that Beca put extra emphasis on the word 'friends." Chloe reached out for Beca and said, "Becs," but before she could say anything else Beca shrugged her off and said, "Don't!" and walked away._

 _Chloe just watched her leave, tears forming in her eyes. I watched the scene unfold. Chloe and I looked at each other. "You have some serious explaining to do," I mouthed to Chloe and walked off to search for Beca._

 _I wasn't able to catch up with Beca. The next day she was gone and no one knew where she went. I texted and called her. She texted back and just said "I'm fine. Please don't contact me anymore." I heard it was the same message she sent to all the Bellas who tried to reach her. All the Bellas except for Chloe. She never responded to any of the texts or voicemail messages that Chloe sent._

 _****Back to the Present****_

I shook my head at the memory. Chloe had told me the next day, when I had come back to our apartment to find Chloe sobbing, that Beca was gone .

I heard from Beca 6 months after graduation. Beca was in need of a lawyer because she was already becoming well known and wanted to know if our firm could handle some legal work for her. Our firm didn't have anyone who handled entertainment law but I was able to recommend a firm that was in LA. We've kept in touch ever since.

 **Beca - POV**

"We need one more take," I told Adele. "Pick it up from the first chorus and that should do it."

"Alright," said Adele.

I finished the recording for Adele and did my 'magic' to make it into a multi-platinum selling song.

I love her job. I had only been at it for 5 years and had become the fastest rising music producer in the U.S. winning 8 grammys so far. I was also doing quite well with my own albums, winning 2 grammys, including "Best New Artist."

I stretched and finally decided to call it a day. I needed to head home and work out the show I was going to perform at the Bellas reunion. I was really surprised when Aubrey asked me to attend the entire weekend reunion, as well as perform. I didn't think any of the Bellas would want to see me after I just up abd left without a word. Aubrey and I spoke of it quite a bit and Aubrey made me see that I shouldn't cut all of the Bellas out of my life just because of what happened between me and Chloe.

Ah, Chloe. I honestly thought she was "the one." Right up until the day I found out about Chloe's fiance. I had been totally blindsided and left Barden that same night without a word to anyone.

 _****5 Years Ago (Barden University Graduation)****_

 _Aubrey found me wandering around in search of Chloe. I hugged Aubrey and said, "Congratulations, Brey!,"_

 _"Thanks, Mitchell," she said. "Have you seen Chloe?"_

 _Chloe and I had been dating since the first day we met. She had tried to get me to audition for the Barden Bellas. I laughed at her and got called a bitch by Aubrey (and yet I still auditioned and got in). Before I left the Bellas booth I asked Chloe for her number. I was surprised when she gave it to me and I called her that afternoon to ask her out. She said yes and we had been together ever since. Chloe had asked me to keep our relationship quiet (only the Bellas and my dad knew about us). She said she needed to get her family used to her dating a girl. It seemed like fate was against us because our schedules for going home never meshed, and then Chloe's dad got sick around Christmas/New Year's. I still had not met anyone from the Beale family and Chloe had not told them about us either. I figured today would finally be the day I would get to meet Chloe's family as her girlfriend._

 _"No, I've been looking for her but haven't found her yet. We can look for her together."_

 _We walked around for about 5 minutes before we found the beautiful redhead standing and looking around._

 _We went up to Chloe and Aubrey hugged her first. "Chlo!," she said. "Can you believe it - we're college graduates!"_

 _"I know," said Chloe. "I didn't think we'd ever get here."_

 _Aubrey moved aside and I grabbed Chloe in a hug. I kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "Congratulations, babe."_

 _Chloe pulled out of the hug and looked like she was about to say something when she heard someone calling her name. She let me got and looked around and saw two men, one of whom I presumed was her dad, walking toward us. The other was younger and I thought maybe it could be her brother. She turned and ran into her father's arms. The older man grabbed her up and said, "We're so proud of you Chloe."_

 _The young man stood back and just smiled at them. "Daddy," Chloe said, "You remember Aubrey?"_

 _"Nice to see you again, Mr. Beale," Aubrey said._

 _"Nice to see you, too, Aubrey," Mr. Beale said._

 _"And this is Beca Mitchell," Chloe said pointing to me. "She's my, um, other best friend."_

 _WTF? Chloe had introduced me as her "friend." It bothered me; a lot._

 _"Nice to meet you, Mr. Beale," I said politely._

 _"Pleasure's all mine," said Mr. Beale shaking my hand. He turned to Chloe and pointed at the other man that was with him and said, "Chloe! Where are your manners? Aren't you going to introduce your fiance to your friends?"_

 _At the word fiance, my heart shattered. I wanted to say something, but all I could do was look at Chloe. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. Chloe would not look at me._

 _"Um, yeah," Chloe said. "Sorry about that. Ray, these are my two best friends Aubrey Posen and Beca Mitchell. Aubrey, Beca, this is my, um, fiance, Ray Matthews."_

 _"Nice to meet you both," said Ray reaching out to shake hands._

 _"Nice to meet you, too," Aubrey said politely, shaking his hand._

 _He reached his hand out toward me. I looked at his hand and looked over at Chloe. Chloe was staring at the ground and still wouldn't look at me. I knew right then that there no longer was an "us."_

 _I limply shook Ray's hand and quietly said, "Nice to meet you, too."_

 _I needed to get out of there. I knew the tears would start falling and I didn't want to have to explain why I was crying. I looked directly at Chloe, forcing her to finally look at me, and said, "I really need to go. I'm supposed to meet some, um, friends and I don't want to be late."_

 _I made sure to put extra emphasis on the word 'friends." Chloe reached out for me and said, "Becs," but before she could say anything else I shrugged her off and said, "Don't!" and walked away._

 _I went straight to my dad's house and told him I needed to leave for LA immediately. I was crying so hard that it took a while to finally tell him what had happened with Chloe. He understood and went with me to my dorm to pack up my stuff. I was grateful that everyone was out celebrating at the various graduation parties so no one would know what I was doing. I didn't see or speak to any of the Bellas before I left._

 _I stayed at my dad's that night. My dad drove me to the airport early the next morning for my flight to LA. He also took care of shipping all my stuff to me._

 _The Bellas, including Aubrey and Chloe, texted and called but I ignored them. I finally decided to let Aubrey and the Bellas know I was okay and asked that they stop trying to contact me. I never responded to any of Chloe's texts or voicemail messages. I finally got tired of her constant texts and phone calls and cancelled my number. I got a new one but only gave it out to very few people. I didn't want to hear from her. I heard her wedding took place about 6 months after graduation._

 _****Back to the Present****_

I arrived home and dropped her keys in the bowl near the door. Suddenly, I was engulfed in a hug that pushed me up against the door.

"I'm so glad you're home," Trish told me. "I'm starving and I was waiting for you so we could eat together."

"You should have eaten," I said with some concern. "Did you take your medicine?"

"It's only a little late," Trish said. "Don't worry about it. Let's eat."

"Okay, okay," I said and followed Trish into the kitchen. I helped her sit down at the counter.

"You stay put," I told her. "I'll get fix our plates. You want water or juice to drink?"

"Water, please," Trish responded.

I got two bottles of water out of the refrigerator and placed them on the counter. I watched as Trish opened one of the bottles and took a drink. My thoughts went back to when we first met six months ago. We had become fast friends and now we were engaged.


	2. Chapter 2

The weeks flew by and before Aubrey knew it, it was time for the reunion. She arrived at the hotel where all of the activities were taking place and checked in at the front desk. She met with the hotel's party planner and walked through the different rooms to ensure that everything would be ready when the Bellas arrived.

Aubrey approved the stage setup for Beca's performance. She didn't tell the other Bellas about it because she wanted it to be a surprise. Beca was going to give them a concert. The first half hour was going to be just for the Bellas. Then they were going to open the doors to the fans who bought tickets to see Beca. Beca was donating her time and all the money from the ticket sales to the Susan G Koman Breast Cancer Research Fund.

Aubrey dropped off her suitcase in her room and freshened up a bit. She knew the Bellas would start arriving soon so she returned to the lobby to wait for them. The first to arrive was Fat Amy.

"Captain!," Amy yells across the lobby.

Aubrey shakes her head and hurries over to Amy. Amy grabs her in a big bear hug and lifts her off the floor.

"Amy, put me down," Aubrey squeals.

"It's so good to see you, skinny bitch," Fat Amy says.

"It's good to see you, too," Aubrey says with a smile. "Let's get you checked in."

Aubrey walks with Amy over to the Registration desk and they chat as Amy waits for her key.

"What up, pitches?," they hear CR yell.

"Cynthia Rose!," Aubrey yells. "Welcome."

"Hey, Aubrey, Amy," CR says. "I guess this is where I get my room key."

"Yeah," Amy says. "Hey, Aubrey, who else is coming? I never did get a chance to ask."

"Well, obviously, the three of us," Aubrey says. "There's also Jessica, Ashley, Stacie, Lily, Denise, Beca, and, um, Chloe."

"What?," Amy yells. "Are you serious? I can't believe she'd actually show her face even after all these years."

"Aca-believe it," Chloe says from behind Amy.

"Red," Amy says with sheepish grin. "Didn't see you there."

"Hey, Chloe," CR said giving the redhead a hug. "It's been too long."

"I know," Chloe said tearing up. "I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch. I really didn't think any of you wanted to speak to me after, um, everything that happened."

"That was a lifetime ago," CR said. "I'm over it. Let's not have nother five years pass before we talk again. Deal?"

"Deal," Chloe said wiping a tear from her cheek and smiling.

"Chloe," Aubrey said.

"Brey," Chloe said. They both smiled and pulled each other into a hug. They stayed that way for a few moments just taking comfort in each other. Chloe really did miss her best friend and had tears falling from her eyes.

"Okay," Amy said. "I think I need a Chloe hug."

Chloe laughed and pulled away from Aubrey, both girls wiping their eyes. Amy grabbed Chloe in a hug.

"It's all cool, Red" Amy said. "We still love you. We still love Beca, too, so you'd better be nice to her."

"I doubt she'll even speak to me," Chloe said. "So, no worries there."

"She may be a little standoffish at first," CR told her, "but, she'll warm up to you."

"I hope you're right," Chloe said.

Denise, Jessica, and Lily all came through the door together and squealed when they saw the other Bellas. They all ran to each other and hugs and how are you's were exchanged. Before they could split up, Ashley and Stacie joined the group. More hugs and more catching up happened.

"Okay, girls," Aubrey said clapping her hands to get their attention. "Let's get everyone checked in and settled in your rooms. We have happy hour starting at 5:00 in the bar and dinner reservations at 6:30."

The girls kept chatting and walked over to the registration desk to sign in. Aubrey and Chloe slowly followed.

"Chloe," Aubrey said stopping Chloe. "There's something I need to tell you. It's about Beca."

"What is it, Brey?," Chloe asked.

"She's coming," Aubrey said. "But she's also bringing someone with her. She's, um, bringing her fiance. They got engaged about a month ago."

"Beca has a fiance," Chloe thought. "I should be happy for her but why does it feel like my heart has shattered in my chest."

Running a multi-million dollar company has taught Chloe how to hide her emotions well. She looked at Aubrey with a small smile, hiding her heartbreak.

"I'm happy for her," Chloe said. "It will be good to see her. I just hope she'll talk to me. I just want to apologize and explain everything. You know?"

"I know," Aubrey said. "Just be careful. I can't say anything about Beca's current situation because it's not my place. But, just don't push it. Take it easy with her."

Before Chloe can say anything they hear Fat Amy yell "Shawshank!"

Everyone turned to see Beca standing with her arm around the woman standing next to her. Chloe's jaw dropped. The woman was gorgeous and the couple looked absolutely fantastic together.

Beca smiled at Amy as she ran at her. Beca braced herself and Amy grabbed her and lifted Beca off the ground.

"Oooofff," Beca says. "Amy put me down!"

Amy does with a loud laugh.

"It's good to see you, Shawshank," Amy tells her.

The girls who were done registering walked over to greet Beca.

"So," Stacie says after hugging Beca. "Who is this gorgeous lady?"

"Oh, sorry," Beca said. "This is Trish Comstock. Uh, my fiance."

"Fiance?," Stacie said. "Congratulations! I'm Stacie Conrad."

"Thank you and it's nice to meet you, Stacie," Trish said.

"Cynthia Rose," CR said giving Trish a small hug. "But everyone calls me CR."

"Hi, CR," Trish says with a smile.

"I'm Fat Amy," Amy says.

"Wait. You call yourself Fat Amy?," Trish asks.

"Yeah, so twig bitches like us don't do it behind her back," Stacie, CR, and Beca say simultaneously.

Amy nods her head with a smirk. The three look at each other and everyone starts to laugh.

"Let's get you checked in," Stacie says.

The girls head over to the registration desk. Beca's face is creased with concern as she walks with Trish.

"Are you okay?," Beca whispers to Trish.

"Yeah," Trish says breathlessly. "Just feeling a little tired."

"Why don't you sit over here," Beca said leading her to a chair in the lobby. "I'll check us in and we can go up to our room so you can rest."

"Okay," Trish said with a grateful smile.

Beca helped Trish sit down and made her way to the registration desk. Just as she approached the desk the girls moved and she was face to face with Chloe Beale. Her mouth went dry and she stopped dead in her tracks. Chloe was scared but her face was void of all emotion. The girls all stood silently by and watched to see what would happen.

"God," Beca thought. "She's still as gorgeous as ever. This is going to be long weekend."

"Hey, Beca," Beca said quietly. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Chloe," Beca said. "I'm glad you could make it. I know Aubrey was looking forward to reconnecting."

Beca took a hesitant step forward and stopped. She then closed the gap and gave Chloe a small hug. Chloe was a bit surprised but managed to hug Beca back. Beca pulled back and stepped away with a smile.

"Brey," Beca said leaning over to give Aubrey a hug.

"Hey, Beca," Aubrey whispered to Beca. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Beca whispered back. "It was only a little awkward."

Beca pulled back from the hug with a smile.

"Jessica," Beca said to the blond. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you, too," Jessica said grabbing Beca in a hug.

"Denise, Ashley," Beca said acknowledging the other two Bellas. "Where's Lily? I thought she was coming."

"She was just here," Ashley said looking around.

"I'm sure we'll see her at happy hour," Aubrey told them.

"Speaking of," Beca said. "Aubrey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure," Aubrey said. "Do you want to check in first?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "Can you go sit with Trish and make sure she's okay? I'll meet you over by her in a few minutes."

"Okay," Aubrey said and walked over to where Trish was sitting.

Beca went to check in and get her room keys. The other girls all headed up to their rooms saying they'd see them for happy hour. Beca looked over to check on Trish and caught Chloe's eye. Chloe immediately looked away and moved to the other side of the group so she couldn't see Beca.

Beca finished checking in and went over to Trish and Aubrey. Aubrey was chatting with Trish when Beca joined them.

"Hey, Beca," Aubrey said. "Trish was jus telling me that she's really tired and that you guys were going to skip happy hour. Why don't you take Trish upstairs and I'll let the girls know and extend your apologies. Will we see you at dinner?"

"Yeah," Trish said. "Just the plane ride and everything tired me out. I should be fine after I rest. So, yeah, we'll definitely be back down in time to meet everyone for dinner."

The Bellas found that their rooms were all on the same floor and close to one another. Chloe made her way into her room and dropped her suitcase by the bed. She sat down and put her head in her hands. Seeing Beca after all this time made her realize just how much she was still in love with the girl. But, Beca has a fiance so she needed to stop thinking like that. She wiped a tear from her eye and thought about how she was going to make it through this reunion. Chloe's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. Chloe went and answered the door.

"Hey, Chloe," Jessica said.

"Hey, Jess," Chloe said. "Come on in."

"I thought you could use a friend," Jessica said entering the room.

"Thanks," Chloe said quietly as she closed the door.

"Are you okay?," Jessica asked. "I can see you've been crying."

"Seeing Beca after all this time," Chloe said wiping away a tear, "made me realize just how badly I fucked up five years ago."

"You still love her, don't you?," Jessica asked.

"I never stopped," Chloe replied. "Even during my sham of a marriage, all I could think about was Beca. The look in her eyes when my dad referred to Matt as my fiance at graduation is something I'll never forget. I know I hurt her so bad. I should never have agreed to my father's 'deal' to merge our company with the Matthews'. If I hadn't been such a coward then Beca and I might be here as a married couple, instead of ex-girlfriends."

Jessica and Aubrey were the only two Bellas who knew about Chloe's 'arranged' marriage. Chloe and Jessica had become good friends while at Barden. They talked to each other about their screwed up love lives without judgement or criticism. Chloe had told her all about her father's plans.

"Did you ever explain things to her?," Jessica asked. "Tell her about your dad and the merger."

"No," Chloe said. "I thought I could get out of the engagement before graduation and just move on with Beca. Only, my dad got sick and time just passed so fast. I should have said something to my dad at graduation. Told him that I loved Beca and I wasn't going to marry Ray. But I-."

"Chickened out?," Jessica finished for her.

"Yeah," Chloe said quietly. "I was such a coward."

"Maybe you should just talk to her now," Jessica said. "I think you owe her that much."

"What if she thinks I'm telling her just to try and get back together with her?," Chloe asked. "She has a fiance. She could hate me even more than she does now."

"Beca doesn't hate you, Chlo," Jessica said putting her arm around Chloe's shoulders. "Yes, she was hurt, but it's been five years. From what I heard she hasn't been in a serious relationship in all that time."

"Did you not hear?," Chloe asked. "She's here with her fiance. I'd say it doesn't get any more serious than that."

"Just talk to her," Jessica said.

Chloe nodded. She knew Jessica was right. She would find some time to talk to Beca. To explain and apologize for being such a coward.

"I'll talk to her," Chloe said. "So, while we on the subject of past loves, how are you and Ashley doing?"

"We're not," Jessica said with a sad smile. "I never got around to telling her how I felt about her and then we kind of lost touch."

"Just talk to her," Chloe said. "You never know. She might feel the same way about you and you won't know if you don't talk to her."

"Come on," Jessica said standing up. "It's time for happy hour and I could use a drink."

The Bellas all met in the hotel bar. Fat Amy was regaling the girls with one of her hilarious adventures. Jessica noticed Chloe kept looking at the entry to the bar. She knew she was looking for Beca.

"Hey, Aubrey," Jessica called out. "Where's Beca?"

"Trish was tired so Beca stayed with her while she rested," Aubrey said. "She asked me to apologize to everyone for them and said they would see us all at dinner."

It was a little after six o'clock when Aubrey started getting the girls together to head to dinner. She had made reservations for 6:30 pm at a restaurant close to the hotel for the first night. She texted Beca to ler her know they were heading over and did she want them to wait for her and Trish.

 _Beca: We'll be down in 5_

 _Aubrey: Okay. We'll wait for you._

"Beca and Trish will be down in five minutes," Aubrey told the group. "Let's settle the tab and wait for them by the lobby doors."

Everyone pitched in their share and the group went to wait for Beca. Chloe stood off to the side a bit and was nervous but tried not to show it. She had to keep her emotions in check while around Beca. She knew they couldn't be together like before but she hoped that they could at least be friends.

Chloe walked over to Aubrey with her brightest smile in place. She was chatting with Aubrey and Stacey when Beca showed up. The girls all greeted Beca and they headed out to the restaurant. Once they were all seated, Chloe found herself sitting directly across from Beca with Trish to Beca's right.

"You're Chloe, right?," Trish asked her.

"Yes, that's right," Chloe said.

"I'm Trish," Trish said introducing herself. "Beca's told me a lot about you, about all of you. I feel like I already know everyone."

The waiter came to get their drink orders

"I'll have a double scotch on the rocks," Chloe said when it was her turn.

Chloe turned and started talking to Jessica. She couldn't bear looking across the table at Beca with Trish. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"Are you okay?," Jessica whispered to Chloe.

"No," was all Chloe said.

The waiter put Chloe's scotch in front of her and she drained the glass in two quick gulps. She raised her glass to the waiter asking for another.

Beca looked over at Chloe with furrowed brows. She knew Chloe could hold her liquor but she was concerned that at the rate the redhead was going, she'd be drunk off her ass before the salads arrived at the table.

"Could you excuse me for a minute?," Beca asked Trish.

"Sure," Trish said. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Beca whispered. "I just need to talk to Aubrey about my performance tomorrow."

Beca stood and got Aubrey's attention. She motioned with her head to get Aubrey to follow her. Aubrey nodded and got up, excusing herself. Aubrey followed Beca over to the restaurant's bar.

"Everything okay?," Aubrey asked. "Is Trish okay?"

"Yeah, Trish is fine," Beca said. "I'm just a little worried about Chloe. She's hitting the hard stuff pretty, well, hard. I know she can handle her liquor but at this rate I'm worried. Is she okay?"

"Well, 'okay' may not be the right word," Aubrey said. "Look Beca, it's not easy for her to see you after all this time, especially with Trish. She knows she messed up, big time, with you, and she's worried that you hate her now. She really loved you, you know, and has never stopped."

"She sure had a great way of showing how much she loved me," Beca said with a sneer. "You know with her getting engaged to someone else while we were dating, and all."

"Look," Aubrey said. "You two need to talk. You'll find that you both have a lot more in common than you think. I know she wants to explain everything to you. Give her the chance to do that. It will do both of you some good."

"I don't know what good talking will do now," Beca said. "The damage she caused to me was devastating. She broke me, Brey."

Beca wiped her eyes to keep the tears from falling down her face.

"And, for the record," Beca said. "I never hated her. I could never hate her. A part of me will always be in love with her."

"Just giver her the chance to explain herself," is all Aubrey said.

Beca thought about it for a minute and nodded at Aubrey. Aubrey squeezed Beca's arm and they made their way back to the table. Their waiter passed by with what looked to be another scotch for Chloe. Beca stopped the waiter.

"I'll give you one hundred dollars if you cut the redhead off after this drink," Beca told him.

The waiter looked at Beca like she was crazy. Beca pulled out a one hundred dollar bill and held it in front of him. The waiter looked over his shoulder at their table, nodded his head, and took the money.

Beca sat down at the table just in time to place her dinner order. She gave Trish a small smile and asked if she was okay.

"Stop babying me," Trish whispered to Beca. "I'll let you know when I'm not okay. Okay?"

"Sorry," Beca said putting her hands up in mock surrender.

Chloe finished her drink and waved it at the waiter. The waiter came over and quietly said something to Chloe. She got an angry look on her face and got up. She pushed past the waiter and headed for the bar. Beca jumped up and went after her.

"Hey, Chloe," Beca called to her. "Leaving so soon?"

"Just going to the bar," Chloe said. "Some sort of bullshit 'three drink maximum' while dining policy."

"Maybe you should get some food in you first," Beca suggested. "Then the next round is on me. What do you say?"

Chloe looked at Beca. She wasn't sure why Beca was doing this but figured she would just give in and get drunk when she got back to the hotel. Chloe didn't say anything, she just turned and headed back to the table. Beca let out a breath and followed her.

Trish was chatting with Jessica when Chloe and Beca returned to the table.

"So, why don't you tell her?," Trish asked Jessica.

"It's not that easy," Jessica replied.

"Tell who what?," Beca asked.

"Jessica was telling me how she never told Ashley that she's been in love with her since their Barden days," Trish said.

"I told Trish that I always knew there was something going on between you two," Beca said with a smile.

"It never went anywhere though," Jessica said with a sad smile. She glanced over at Ashley and noticed she had been looking at her but quickly glanced away.

"I'm telling you, just talk to her," Chloe said. "I think you'll be surprised at what she has to say."

"I should say the same to you," Jessica said so only Chloe could hear.

Chloe blushed and took a quick look over at Beca.

"Chloe's right," Beca said. "Talking will help clear the air."

Chloe looked at Beca and Beca looked back at her.

"I'll talk to her after dinner," Jessica said causing the two girls to look at her.

Their food orders arrived and everyone started eating. Maybe it was the three double scotches, but dinner wasn't as awkward as Chloe thought it would be. Trish was actually a really nice person and Chloe couldn't help but like the girl.

Dinner and dessert were done and the girls got up to head back to their hotel. Jessica made her way to Ashley and asked if they could talk. Ashley agreed and the two girls bid the others a good night and went to the restaurant's bar.

The other girls started the short walk back to the hotel. Chloe decided to take the bull by the horns and caught up with Beca and Trish just as they got to the hotel.

"Beca," Chloe said. "Could we, um, maybe talk for a bit? If that's okay with you, Trish?"

"I think that's a good idea," Trish said to Beca. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," Beca said. "Chloe, let me get Trish settled in our room and we can meet in the hotel bar, let's say in 20 minutes? I'll buy you that drink I promised and we can talk. Sound okay?"

"Sure," Chloe said.

Beca took Trish to their room. She made sure she was comfortable and that she took her meds.

"Good night, Beca," Trish said as Beca left to go meet Chloe. "I hope your talk with Chloe goes well."

"Good night, Trish," Beca said and quietly closed the door.

Beca made her way to the bar and found Chloe sitting at a table. She had already ordered their drinks. Beca sat down and looked at Chloe.

"I was supposed to get the next round," Beca said.

"Don't worry," Chloe said with a smirk. "I started a tab in your name."

Beca let out a laugh and picked up her drink.

"Cheers," Beca said.

Chloe tapped her glass to Beca's and took a drink. Beca did the same.

"I owe you an explanation," Chloe said. "I know it won't change anything but I need you to know how things got to where they are. And, I owe you a huge ass apology for being such a coward through it all."

Beca looked at Chloe and leaned back in her chair.

"I'm listening," Beca said.


	3. Chapter 3

Aubrey was relaxing in her room when there was a knock on her door. She opened the door and found most of the Bellas standing there.

"Hey, Brey," Stacie said. "We wanted to talk to you about Beca and Chloe."

Aubrey sighed and opened the door to allow the girls to come in. The girls all found somewhere to sit while Aubrey chose to stand.

"What do you want to talk about?," Aubrey asked with her arms folded across her chest.

"For starters," Stacie said. "What the hell really happened at yours and Chloe's graduation? Because whatever it was, it caused Beca to leave without a word to any of us. It also caused a big riff between all of us and Chloe. And then six months later Chloe marries some guy we never even heard about or knew. I think we deserve to know what really happened."

"It's not my place to say," Aubrey said looking at the floor.

The girls looked at each other. They could see they weren't going to get much out of Aubrey and decided to leave it, for now.

"Okay," Stacie said. "What's wrong with Trish?"

"What?," Aubrey asked her head jerking up to look at Stacie.

"You forget, it's _Dr._ Conrad," Stacie said. "I can tell there is something wrong with her. I've only been around her for a few hours and I've noticed that she tires very easily, she's underweight, she hardly ate anything at dinner, and Beca treats her likes she going to break any minute."

"Again, it's not my place to say," Aubrey tells the group.

"Fine," Stacie said. "I'll just ask Beca."

"Dammit, Stacie," Aubrey says. "You can't do that."

"I can and will, unless you tell us," Stacie said.

The two women stared at each other. The other girls didn't say anything. Suddenly there's a knock at the door.

"Great," Aubrey says. "That's probably Chloe. She was going to talk to Beca."

"I think it's Jessica and Ashley," Denise said. "I texted them to meet us here."

Aubrey walks over and opens the door to find Jessica and Ashley.

"So, what's going on?," Jessica asks as she enters and sees most of the Bellas.

"They're asking what happened between Beca and Chloe," Aubrey tells her.

"What did you tell them?," Jessica asked.

"Nothing," Aubrey told her.

"Wait," CR said. "Jessica, you know what happened?"

"Yes," Jessica said but didn't elaborate.

The other girls started firing questions and accusations at both Aubrey and Jessica.

"Stop, just stop!," Jessica yelled to be heard. "I think you guys deserve to know what happened. But, I can only give you Chloe's reasons for doing what she did. She truly loves Beca and didn't mean for it to get as far as it did. She didn't mean to hurt Beca."

"Look," Stacie said. "We all love Chloe and we all love Beca. What happened between them, caught a lot of us by surprise. But the big questions is, if Chloe loved Beca as much as you say she did, how could she have gotten married just 6 months after breaking up. She seemed to move on fairly quickly."

"She married Ray because she had to, not because she wanted to," Jessica snapped out. "Shit!"

Jessica runs her hands through her hair. Aubrey touches her arm.

"Maybe we should just tell them," Aubrey tells Jessica.

"Wait," Amy says. "She had to marry Ray? Was she pregnant? Did she cheat on Beca? Oh my God! I'm going to kill that redhead."

"No, Amy," Aubrey said trying to calm the Australian down. "If anything, Chloe cheated on Ray with Beca."

"What the actual fuck?," Stacie said.

The girls again started talking over one another. Aubrey put her hands to her head and started rubbing her temples.

"Okay, okay!," Jessica shouted. "We're going to tell you everything we know."

Jessica starts telling the girls about Chloe's 'arranged' marriage.

Meanwhile, down in the bar Chloe is wiping tears from her eyes as she finishes telling Beca about her marriage, her dad, the business, her divorce. Everything that had happened since she met Beca.

Beca sits there stone faced. She was trying to absorb and process everything Chloe just told her. She gulped down her drink that she hadn't touched since Chloe started talking. She called the waitress over and ordered a double.

Chloe just sat there waiting and watching Beca. Chloe could tell Beca was trying to process what she just heard.

"So, let me get this straight," Beca said. "When you agreed to go out with me, you were already with Ray."

"Technically, yes," Chloe answered.

"And the whole time we were together," Beca said. "You couldn't tell me what was going on?"

"I wanted to," Chloe said. "I just wanted to tell my dad about us first. But, every time I tried he would get sick or tell me how I was being a good 'company woman' by being with Ray."

"That's why you wanted to keep things quiet about us?," Beca asked. "Because you didn't want it to get back to your father?"

"Yes," Chloe said quietly.

"And, you cheated on Ray," Beca said. "With me."

"Actually," Chloe said. "I never slept with Ray when you and I were together. I only slept with Ray once and that was on our wedding night. I felt like I was cheating on you when I did."

"Wow," Beca said. "I can't believe you didn't trust me enough to tell me all this. I could have helped you figure out how to get out of the marriage. Hell, I would have married you and been by your side when you told your dad about us."

"I told you," Chloe said. "I was a coward. I thought you would walk away as soon as you heard about Ray. Which you did by the way."

"That's not fair, Chloe," Beca said. "I didn't know what was really going on. It's kind of hard to stick around when the love of your life introduces you to her fiance. Did Aubrey know about Ray?"

"No," Chloe said. "She found out when you did. I never told her about him. I did tell Jessica. She told me I should tell you, but I coudn't. I was daddy's little girl. He was always there for me, especially after my mom died. My two brothers wanted nothing to do with the company, so I was my dad's only hope in keeping it going when he was gone. I'd been groomed to take over for my dad since I was 12 years old. After graduation, he spent 2 years teaching me everything about the business from the ground up. He retired and turned the company over to me when I was 23 years old. I wanted so badly to contact you after I divorced Ray, but I thought you hated me. I buried myself in my work and tried so hard to forget about you. It didn't work. I never stopped loving you."

Chloe has tears flowing freely down her face. Beca is just looking at her.

"I did hate you," Beca said. "I got over it."

Beca sat there thinking. She still couldn't process everything Chloe told her. She felt bad for Chloe. Having to do all that just to satisfy her father.

"I," Beca starts. "Considering I only went to college because my father made me, I sort of understand why you did it. Doesn't mean I have to agree with it. I wish I could tell you what you want to hear, but I have Trish. I'm getting married."

Chloe felt a tightness in her chest. "I know," she said to Beca. "I'm not asking you for anything other than friendship. I just wanted to tell you why what happened, happened. I guess I was hoping we could at least be friends."

Beca didn't say anything.

"It's just that," Chloe said. "We're moving our company headquarters to LA and I'll be relocating from Tampa. It would be nice to see a friendly face, or two, once I'm out there."

Beca didn't know how to take this news. Her and Chloe in the same city. As friends?

Back in Aubrey's room, the girls are sitting in stunned silence. Each taking in what Jessica and Aubrey told them.

"So, let me make sure I understand this" Denise says breaking the silence. "Chloe married Ray because her father basically made her. Beca didn't know anything about Ray until she heard he was Chloe's fiance at graduation. Beca left and broke all contact with Chloe and us because of it. And now, Chloe's divorced and Beca's engaged to someone else."

"That about sums it up," Aubrey says.

"This is fucked up," Stacie mumbles.

"Yes, it is," Aubrey says. "And, don't say anything to Chloe or Beca, but I'm pretty sure Beca is still in love with Chloe."

"But she's engaged," CR says.

"I know," Aubrey says.

"And," Jessica pipes. "I know for a fact that Chloe is still in love with Beca."

"But, Beca is **engaged,** " CR repeats.

"We know that, CR," Aubrey says getting agitated. "We're not saying anything is going to happen between Beca and Chloe. We're just trying to put everything out there. We have to just continue the reunion as if everything is okay. Can we do that?"

The girls all agree and start leaving Aubrey's room. Jessica says something to Ashley and stays back.

"Do you really think nothing will happen between Beca and Chloe this weekend?," Jessica asked Aubrey once they were alone.

"I know that Beca is committed to making Trish happy," Aubrey says. "I don't think she would cheat on her, even with Chloe."

"What is really up with those two?," Jessica asks. "I mean, Denise told me what Stacie said and I agree that something's wrong with Trish. And, maybe it's me, but Beca and Trish don't act like two people who are in love and getting married."

"It really isn't my place to tell you," Aubrey said not looking at Jessica.

Jessica looks at Aubrey. Aubrey is still looking at the floor. She looks up and Jessica sees something in Aubrey's eyes that make her come to a realization.

"Oh my, God!," Jessica exclaims. "Is Beca marrying Trish because she's sick?"

"It's not my place to tell you," Aubrey responds weakly.

"Come on, Aubrey," Jessica said. "I'm right aren't I? Just tell me if I'm right. I'm not going to say anything to anybody."

Beca and Chloe are still sitting in the bar. Neither has said anything for a few minutes.

"Beca," Chloe says breaking the silence. "Could you just say something? Please?"

"I'm sorry, Chloe," Beca said. "I'm just trying to process everything. It's kinda werid but I think it would be okay if we were friends. Plus, Trish is a real estate agent and could help you find a house or an apartment in LA. And, I know all the best pizza and Chinese delivery places with a 15 mile radius of the city."

Chloe laughed and wiped away a tear that had fallen on her cheek.

"Having Trish help me find a place would be great," Chloe said. "I'm actually flying to LA on Monday to start my house search and get the office set up. I'd like to buy a house and have some ideas of what I want. And I definitely want the numbers to the pizza and Chinese delivery places. I practically live on food delivery."

Beca smiled. "Maybe it won't be so awkward or hard having Chloe living in the same city," Beca thought.

"I'll talk to Trish," Beca said. "She probably has a list of houses available and we can show you around when you get to LA."

"Thanks, Beca," Chloe says. "For everything."

"No problem," Beca says. "I'd better get back to Trish. Let me text to see is she's still awake. Maybe you can talk to her about what you're looking for."

"Um, yeah, of course," Chloe said.

"Sounds good," Beca said.

She texts Trish about Chloe moving to LA and wanting to buy a house and if she was up to talking to Chloe. Trish texts back to bring Chloe by to talk houses. Beca pays the tab and the two head up to Beca's room.

"Come on in," Beca says opening the door.

They walk in to find Trish sitting on the chair with several papers in front of her.

"Hey, Chloe," Trish said. "I don't know what you're looking for but I have several really great houses here. I'm sure we can find some you like. I'll be happy to show them to you when you get to LA."

Beca and Chloe walk over to where Trish is sitting. Chloe takes a seat and Beca stands behind Trish. She puts her hands on Trish's shoulders.

"Thank you for doing this," Chloe tells Trish.

"It's my job," Trish said. "It's how Beca and I met actually. Well, my dad is Beca's boss and he told her about me being a real estate agent."

Beca gave a small smile to Chloe.

"So," Trish says. "What are some of the things you are looking for?"

"I definitely want a pool," Chloe says. "Practically the only exercise I get these days. Plus it relaxes me. At least 4 bedrooms for when my family comes to visit. I'd love a big kitchen. I'm hoping to get back into cooking. I don't do it so much anymore. Um, an office or library with built-in shelves. I'm think that's pretty much it."

"Okay," Trish says.

Trish pulls out five or six of the papers she has lying on the table. Chloe can see that they are actually brochures of several different houses.

"Anything else?," Trish asks.

"Um, I don't want a fixer upper kind of place," Chloe said. "I'd like a yard, but nothing too big. I don't always have time to care of it."

"We can work with that," Trish says. "Plus, if you do find a place you love and it has a big yard, we can refer you to Beca's landscaper. They do great work."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Um, I like a brick or stone exterior. Oh, and I love those showers that have those multiple shower heads."

Trish smiles and looks at the brochure she had previously pulled out. She puts them in some kind of order and moves closer to Chloe.

"I think these have what you are looking for," Trish says. "Do you have a price limit?"

"No," Chloe says. "As cliche as this sounds, money is no object for me."

"Great," Trish says. "Let's take a looks at these and we can narrow it down more if you want or we can just schedule a time so you can see all of them."

Chloe smiles and starts looking through the brochures. They are all pretty much what she was looking for. She chews her bottom lip and looks through them several times.

"I kind of like all of them," Chloe says. "How long will it take to get an appointment to see them all?"

"These are all mine," Trish says. "So, I'm available whenever you come to LA. Don't worry, there is one in here that I think you will fall in love with once you actually see it."

"Great," Chloe says. "I'm actually flying to LA on Monday and will be there for two weeks. Will you have any time to show me the houses?"

"I have an appointment I must make on Tuesday," Trish says. "So maybe we can meet on, let's say, Thursday? I can show you around all day if you want. That way we can hit all the houses since they are only a few miles apart."

Chloe pulls out her iPhone and checks her schedule.

"Thursday is fine," Chloe says. "My schedule is wide open all day."

"Great," Trish says. "We'll pick you up at 9:00 am. Where will you be staying?"

"We?," Chloe says.

"Yeah," Beca says. "Trish doesn't drive so I'll be playing chauffer for you guys."

"Oh," Chloe says. "Um, I'll have a car and driver so why don't I pick Trish up and you can do whatever you need to do."

"It's really okay," Beca said. "I'm happy to do it."

Chloe chews her bottom lip and continues looking at the brochures to give her time to think. She didn't know how she would be able to handle having Beca with her while she looked at houses. It was something that she used to think about when they were together. Buying a home together, getting married.

"Chloe?," Beca called her name.

"What?," Chloe asks. "I'm sorry. I was, um, just looking at the houses again and thinking."

"Where are you staying in LA?," Beca asks.

"I'm booked at the Four Seasons," Chloe finally tells her.

"Okay," Trish says. "It's settled. We will pick you up at 9:00 am on Thursday at the Four Seasons. Give me your number and we'll text you when we're on our way."

Chloe gives Trish her number. Trish sends Chloe a text so she has Trish's number as well.

"Becs," Trish says. "Give me your phone."

Chloe's felt a tug on her heart when she heard Trish call Beca 'Becs.' That's the same nickname she used to call Beca. This is going to be much harder than the thought.

Beca hands Trish her phone. Trish puts Chloe's number in and sends another text to Chloe.

"That is Beca's number," Trish says. "That way you can reach either of us. I can't wait for you to move to LA. We're are going to be such good friends."

Chloe gives Trish a small smile and says, "I feel the same way."

Chloe gets up and thanks Trish again.

"It's getting late," Chloe said. "I should be going. Aubrey's got a group breakfast planned for 8:30 a.m. and I do not want to be late and suffer a Posen glare-down."

"I hear 'ya," Beca said with a laugh. "She still scares the shit of me sometimes."

Beca walks Chloe to the door.

"See you tomorrow, Chloe," Beca says as Chloe leaves.

"See you guys tomorrow," Chloe says with a small wave.

Chloe walks down the hall to her room. As she is opening her door she sees Jessica and Aubrey. Jessica was just leaving and Aubrey was saying goodbye.

"Hey guys," Chloe calls out and starts walking toward them.

"Hey, Chlo," Jessica says. "What were you up to?"

"I was just with Trish and Beca," Chloe says. "Trish is a real estate agent and is going to show me some houses in LA."

"LA?," Aubrey asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "Can we all talk in your room?"

"Sure," Aubrey says standing aside to let the two girls in.

Chloe and Jessica sit in the two chairs occupying the room and Aubrey sits on the end of the bed.

"What's this about LA?," Aubrey asks.

"Yeah," Chloe says. "We're moving our headquarters from Tampa to LA. The Board decided we needed to have a larger presence and thought that LA was our best bet. Believe me, I fought it but was overruled."

"But, aren't you, like the big boss or something?," Jessica asked.

"I am," Chloe said. "Only the Board can overrule me if they feel it is for the benefit of the company. So, I really don't have a choice in the matter."

"How are you feeling about it?," Aubrey asked.

"I'm okay, I guess," Chloe said. "I talked to Beca and she understands why I did what I did. We've decided to try and be friends."

"So, what's the problem?," Jessica asked.

"I'm not sure I can do it," Chloe says honestly. "I'm the one who suggested it, but now I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to be around Beca so much."

"What's changed?," Jessica asked.

"Trish," Chloe said. "I mean, Trish offered to take me around to see some houses that are on the market. Beca will be driving us around because Trish doesn't drive. When Beca said she would be there, my thoughts went back to when we were talking about moving in together. I thought about how I wished it was me and Beca looking at houses and I, just, I-," Chloe stopped as tears streamed down her face.

Aubrey got up and walked over to Chloe, pulling her into a hug.

"It didn't hurt this much when I though Beca actually hated me," Chloe said through her tears.

"Maybe you need to distance yourself from Beca a little bit," Jessica said. "Take some time when you go back home to get some control over your feelings."

"I can't," Chloe said. "I'm supposed to fly out to LA on Monday to get started on setting up the new offices. I made an appointment with Trish for Thursday to see houses. We plan to open the new office in six weeks and I need to be there for it. Once we open, I'm expected to stay in LA. I'm so screwed."

"You're supposed to be moving to LA in six weeks and you just now decided to look for a house?," Aubrey asks.

"I knew Beca was somewhere in LA," Chloe says. "I just didn't want to think about moving out there and possibly running into her so I kept putting it off."

"How'd that work out for you?," Aubrey asks with a smile.

Jessica chuckled.

"Shut up," Chloe said with a small laugh.

"Seems to me you have two choices," Aubrey says. "One - you suck it up and continue with your plans to fly to LA on Monday and see houses with Trish and Beca on Thursday. OR, two - you suck it up and continue with your plans to fly to LA on Monday and see houses with Trish and Beca on Thursday."

"You're right," Chloe says. "Maybe the more I see Beca and Trish together, I'll be able to start seeing Beca as just a friend. Right?"

"I think it's a good start," Jessica tells her. "Are you good now?"

"Yeah," Chloe says with a smile. "I'm good."

"Glad to hear it," Jessica says. "I'm going to bed. See you ladies in the morning."

"Yeah," Chloe says. "I should head out as well. Good night, Brey, Jessica. Thanks for talking this through with me. I'll see you in the morning.

Aubrey walks the two girls to the door. The three friends hug and go to their rooms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, everyone. Sorry for the delay in updating. Had some unexpected company show up and had to play hostess. Left no time to write. Luckily, I had two chapters already written and just needed to read through them a couple of times and tweak them here and there. So, here you go.**

 **{Note to SavageMinion (Guest?): Anyone who reads my stories knows I usually update fairly often and within a couple of days of the last update. I have not, and will not, abandon any story I have out there. I will try and let you know if there is something coming up that will delay me updating. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.}**

* * *

Chloe was up early the next morning. Technically, she never really went to sleep. Her brain would not shut down. She thought of Beca and the time they were together. She thought of work and moving to LA. She thought of Trish and Beca together. She couldn't blame Beca for liking Trish. I mean she is absolutely gorgeous. She reminded Chloe of that actress from _Pretty Little Liars_ , Shay Mitchell, only shorter. Dark hair, smoldering eyes, and she had to admit, totally hot. They really looked good together. Chloe hated how good they looked together.

Chloe got in the shower about 7:00 am. She got dressed and checked her work emails. Responding to those that were urgent. She left her room at 8:15 and met Stacie, Aubrey, Jessica, and Ashley coming out of their rooms. The five girls headed down to breakfast together. Chloe was surprised to see Beca and Trish already seated at the table.

"Hey, Beca. Hey, Trish," Stacie called out as they entered the hotel restaurant.

"Hey, guys," Beca said.

"Morning, Beca," Aubrey and Jessica said.

"Good morning, Trish, Beca," Chloe said with a smile.

Chloe sat next to Jessica and Aubrey on the opposite side of the table from Beca and Trish. Stacie sat next to Beca and Ashley sat next to Jessica. Trish saw this and raised an eyebrow at Jessica. Jessica just smiled and nodded at Trish. Trish smiled back and shot her a thumbs up.

Chloe noticed this and looked at Jessica, who was looking at Ashley.

"Oh my God, Jess," Chloe whispered to Jessica causing her to look at Chloe.

"You and Ashley?," Chloe asked.

"Yep," Jessica told her. "We talked and she does feel the same way. We're going to get together after the reunion to see how things go."

"I'm so happy for you," Chloe says pulling Jessica into a hug.

Chloe reached across Jessica and gave Ashley's arm a squeeze. She smiled at Ashley and mouthed "Congratulations." Ashley smiled shyly back.

"Hey, Chloe," Trish said getting her attention. "I just got a new listing that you might be interested in. It is closer to your new office than any of the others. I'm adding to our list to look at on Thursday."

"That's great, Trish," Chloe said with a smile.

"Listing?," Stacie said from Chloe to Trish.

"Um, yeah," Chloe said. "We're moving our headquarters to LA and Trish is a real estate agent and is going to help me find a house."

"Wow," was all Stacie said.

She gave a questioning look to Aubrey. Aubrey mouthed that they would talk later. Fat Amy, Lily, Denise, and CR finally joined the group and everyone decided to get the breakfast bar. Beca got in line and made a plate for her and Trish. She came back to the table and Chloe and Stacie both looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"What?," Beca said looking at the two women.

"I can't believe you still eat like that," Stacie said pointing to Beca's plate, "and still look like that." She finished the last part waving her hand up and down Beca's body.

"Remember that time at Barden when she ate that whole large pizza by herself?," Chloe asked with a shake of her head.

"I lost fifty bucks because of that," CR said with a laugh.

Beca just smirked and shoved half a pancake in her mouth.

As everyone was eating, Aubrey went over that day's reunion activities.

"Okay," Aubrey says. "The bus leaves for Barden at exactly 10:00 so don't be late. We're going to get to see the new Bellas in action as well as get a chance to walk around campus. We'll have lunch at 1:00 at Rosie's Diner and head back to the hotel at 3:00. This will give everyone time to relax a bit before dinner at 7:00 and a special performance that starts at 9:00. Everyone good with that?"

"What's the special performance?," Denise asks.

"It's a benefit for Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Fund," Aubrey responds. "We get a free 30 minute concert before the doors are opened to ticket holders."

"Who's performing?," Stacie asked.

"You'll find out tonight," Aubrey said.

Everyone booed and kept asking who it was. Aubrey just shook her head and wouldn't say. Chloe sat at the table listening to the various conversations going on around her. She was a little spaced out from not sleeping much the night before.

"Chloe?," she hears Beca call her name. "Are you okay?"

"What?," Chloe asked trying to shake the fog from her brain.

"You look really tired," Beca said. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah," Chloe said. "I didn't sleep well last night. Just talking about looking for a house in LA, makes the move real. I just never had time to think about it before."

"It is a bit daunting," Trish said. "But, don't worry, you have me and Beca to help you. We'll even be there to help you move in when the time comes. Won't we, babe?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Beca said with a small smile.

Aubrey excused herself from the table and came back about 5 minutes later.

"Okay, ladies," Aubrey said. "The bus is here. You guys go on and I'll take care of the check."

"Do you want some cash to help pay it?," Beca asked.

"No, thanks," Aubrey said. "Breakfast is on me. You can get lunch if you're feeling generous."

"I can do that," Beca said.

The girls leave and pile onto the bus. Chloe sat next to Fat Amy since just about everyone else was already doubled up.

"So, how are you doing, Red?," Fat Amy asks Chloe.

"I'm fine," Chloe says.

"Seriously?," Amy asks. "You're going with that?"

"What do you mean?," Chloe asks, furrowing her brows.

"You're going to tell me," Amy says, "that seeing our little DJ with Trish doesn't bother you. Like, at all."

"I have no reason to be bothered," Chloe said. "Beca and I are the past, and Trish is her future. I am totally fine with it."

"Okay," Amy said. "If you say so, Red."

Chloe crossed her arms over her chest. She was fine with it. She had to be. She pulled her ear buds and iPhone out. She found a playlist and put her ear buds in, effectively shutting Amy out. Amy put up her hands in mock surrender and moved to sit next to Lily.

The "new" Bellas put on a small performance for the girls. Aubrey and Chloe were asked for any ideas on how they could do it better.

"This is the person you should be asking," Aubrey said, pulling Beca forward to stand in front of the girls. "She's the one who created our sound that helped us win the ICCA National Championships."

Beca blushed slightly.

"Um, I do have a few suggestions," Beca said. "You know, if you want to hear them."

"Yes, of course we want to hear them," June, the Bellas Captain said.

"Um," Beca said. "Could you, um, maybe, get into your starting positions. I need to know who was standing where."

"You heard her," June said. "Starting positions. Now, please."

The girls all hurry and get into their starting position.

"Okay," Beca said. "The song choices are pretty good. They blend together well and the choreography is really good."

Beca continues with the girls. Chloe is watching in awe. Aubrey sees the look Chloe is giving Beca and nudges Chloe's shoulder.

"You're toner is showing," Aubrey whispers to Chloe.

"What?," Chloe says blinking and looking at Aubrey.

"You need to tone down the looks," Aubrey says quietly. "Trish or Beca may see you. What happened to seeing them together would help you get over Beca?"

"I can't help it," Chloe says sadly. "I knew she had probably moved on, but I really didn't think it would hurt this much."

Aubrey put her arm around Chloe's shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

Beca finishes giving the girls her suggestions and they all thank her profusely.

"Once we make the changes you suggested," Laura, Co-Captain of the Bellas, said. "Would it be alright if we sent it to you to look at? Give us your critique so we can make it the best it can be."

"Um, sure," Beca said. She takes out one of her business cards and hands it to Laura.

"My work email is on there," Beca said. "Just send it there and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Thank you," Laura said and grabs Beca in a hug.

"Oh, um," Beca said tensing up. "You're welcome."

She pats the girl on the back and gently pulls away. The girls leave and start walking around campus. Chloe looks back and sees that Trish and Beca are lagging far behind. She sees Beca help Trish over to a bench and they sit down. Chloe walks back to check on them.

"Hey," Chloe says causing Beca to look up. "Everything okay?"

"Um, yeah," Beca said. "Trish is a little tired and needed to rest."

"Oh, okay," Chloe said. "Do you guys want to head over to Rosie's? It's only about a 2 minute walk from here. I know Aubrey made a reservation. Maybe they'll have it ready so you guys can just rest and relax. I'll tell the others you'll meet us there."

"Sounds good," Beca said. "Thanks, Chloe."

Chloe nods her head and hurries to catch up with the rest of the group. Aubrey slows down to walk next to Chloe.

"Everything okay?," Aubrey asks.

"Yeah," Chloe says. "Trish was getting tired to I suggested they meet us at Rosie's."

"Is she okay?," Aubrey asks looking worried.

"I guess so," Chloe said. "Beca just said she was tired. What's going on, Brey? Why are you so worried?"

"No reason," Aubrey says. "I just want to make sure everyone has a good time. I am the one who planned everything."

Chloe didn't say anything. She looked back over her shoulder to see Beca, with her arms around Trish, walking in the direction of Rosie's.

Lunch at Rosie's went well. The staff remembered the girls and they all reminisced about all the times they spent at Rosie's after Bellas practice. Before the girls knew it, it was time to catch the bus back to the hotel. They arrive and before everyone leaves the bus Aubrey stands up.

"Okay, ladies," Aubrey says. "Dinner will be at the same place as last night. The reservation is for 7:00 so let's plan to leave here about 6:45. Don't be late."

The girls all get off the bus and head into the hotel. Aubrey stops Beca and Trish.

"Trish," Aubrey says. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Trish says. "I just got a little tired, that's all. It's nothing."

"Okay," Aubrey says. "Beca, are you ready for tonight? Do we need to go over anything?"

"No," Beca said. "I'm going to go check on everything before I head upstairs to rest a bit. I will need to leave dinner no later than 8:30 to get back here and ready before the show."

"We can just say I'm tired and need to come back to the hotel," Trish says.

"That's actually a good idea," Aubrey said.

"Okay," Beca said. "We'll go with that."

The three women make their way across the lobby to the elevators. They separate once they reach Beca and Trish's room.

"See you at dinner," Beca says as Aubrey walks away.

Beca gets Trish settled for a quick nap and heads down to the small ballroom to make sure everything is ready for her concert tonight. She does a sound check and once she is satisfied she heads back upstairs to change. She decides to wear the outfit she is going to perform in to dinner. Trish is sitting up in bed, drinking from a bottle of water when she walks in.

"I'm going to shower," Beca tells her.

"Make it fast," Trish tells her. "We don't have much time before we need to meet the girls."

"Okay," Beca says. "I'll be out in a flash."

Beca showers and when she comes out Trish is already dressed. She is wearing light blue skinny jeans, a dark blue v-neck tee, and a black leather jacket. She is slipping on a pair of flat sandals when Beca comes out of the bathroom.

"You look nice," Beca tells Trish.

"Thanks," Trish says. "I'm going to brush my teeth and finish my makeup in the bathroom so you can use this mirror."

"Thanks," Beca says.

Beca goes to the closet and pulls out her outfit for the night. She dresses and is putting on her makeup when Trish comes out. Trish lets out a wolf whistle.

"Damn," Trish says. "My fiance is smoking hot."

Beca is wearing dark red skinny jeans, a white cropped v-neck tee, and a black leather jacket. She adds black knee-high boots to complete her outfit.

"Thank you, ma'am," Beca says.

Beca grabs her wallet and hotel key.

"Ready to go?," Beca asks.

"Yep," Trish says grabbing Beca's hand and heading for the door.

They meet Aubrey and Stacie heading for the elevators. Just as they get on the elevator they hear Fat Amy yelling to hold the door. She jumps on and the elevator descends to the lobby. The other girls all show up and the group heads to the restaurant. They all sit and place their orders. Aubrey taps her glass to get the girls' attention.

"To the Bellas," Aubrey says raising her glass.

"To the Bellas," comes the collective reply.

Everyone clinks their glass with whoever they can reach.

"Okay," Ashley finally says. "Isn't there some Bella code about not lying to another Bella sister?"

"Yeah," Stacie says.

"So," Ashley says. "I'm invoking the Bella code and insist that Aubrey tell us who is performing tonight."

"I'm with Ashley on this," Stacie says.

"Me, too," Chloe chimes in.

"Nope," Aubrey says. "Not going to happen."

"Bella code, Brey," Chloe says.

"That's not going to work this time," Aubrey said.

"Fine," Ashley huffs. "I tried."

The rest of the girls mutter about it not being fair.

"Well, I'm going to hit the ladies room before our food arrives," Stacie said standing.

"I'll go with you," Chloe said.

The two girls leave and head to the ladies room. They are both washing their hands when a couple of teenage girls walk in talking excitedly.

"I can't believe my dad got me tickets," the blonde girl said.

"I'm so glad you asked me to come," the brunette said.

"And it's all for a good cause, too," the blonde said. "Can you imagine being two of only one hundred people to have tickets the see a special Beca Mitchell in concert?"

Stacie and Chloe look at each other. Beca was the performer tonight.

The two young girls finish checking their makeup and leave the bathroom.

"I can't believe Aubrey didn't tell me that Beca was performing tonight," Stace said. "I am her girlfriend. She should have at least told me."

Chloe didn't say anything. She didn't know what to think. She had ony seen Beca sing on TV when she did a guest appearance. She has never really seen her live since she became famous.

"Don't say anything to the other girls," Chloe told Stacie. "Let's let it be a surprise."

"Okay," Stacie said. "But Aubrey will hear about this later."

Chloe just laughed as they exited the ladies room.

The food was just being delivered to the table when Chloe and Stacie returned. They both sat down and looked at Aubrey and then over to Beca. Aubrey saw this and wondered what was going on between the two.

"What's with the looks you and Chloe are giving Beca?," Aubrey whispered to Stacie.

"Oh," Stacie whispered back. "We were just talking in the ladies room. We'll definitely talk about it later."

Aubrey just nodded her head and continued eating. At about 8:15 Beca and Trish stood up.

"Where are you going?," Stacie asked.

"Oh," Beca said. "Um, Trish is a little tired. I'm going to take her back to the hotel. We'll see you guys at the concert."

"I bet you will," Chloe said with a quick glance at Stacie.

"Um, so, yeah," Beca stammers. "I'll um, take care of the bill for tonight."

Beca and Trish leave. Beca looks back at Stacie and Chloe. Both girls are looking at her. She gets an uneasy feeling but she needs to get back to the hotel so she just ignores it.

The rest of the girls finish and are ready to leave. Aubrey, Stacie, and Chloe are at the back of the group walking together. Stacie can't hold it in any longer.

"We know Beca is performing tonight," Stacie blurts out so only Aubrey and Chloe can hear.

"Stacie!," Chloe says slapping the girl on the arm.

Aubrey stops and the other two girls follow suit.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Aubrey huffs.

"Can it, Brey," Stacie tells her. "We heard two girls talking about the special concert being given by Beca Mitchell tonight."

Aubrey sighs. "Fine, it's true," she says. "Please don't say anything to the others."

"We aren't," Chloe said. "I'm actually glad we found out before the show. I mean, I've never seen Beca in concert and I don't know what I would've done when she came onstage. This way I can at least have time to prepare myself. You know?"

Stacie put her arm around the redhead. "I get it," she tells Chloe. "If you need to get out of there, just let me know. I'll go with you so it doesn't look bad."

"Thanks, Stacie," Chloe says. "I think I'll be okay. But, I'll let you know if I'm not."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Stace," Aubrey said. "Beca asked me not to tell anyone."

"It's okay," Stacie said kissing Aubrey. "It is still a nice surprise."

The three girls hurry to get back to the hotel. They arrive and the other girls are waiting for them.

"Follow me girls," Aubrey tells them. "The concert is this way."

Aubrey leads them to the small ballroom. The place has chairs lined up in front of a stage. There is an aisle running down the middle of 5 rows. Each row has 10 chairs on each side of the aisle. At the front of the chairs are two tables with 5 seats at each table with a "reserved" sign on each

"These are our seats," Aubrey tells the girls heading for the tables.

"Wow," CR says. "VIP seating."

The girls all take a seat. At one table is CR, Denise, Ashley, Jessica, and Lily. The other table has Aubrey, Stacie, Chloe, and Fat Amy.

"Hey, Captain," Fat Amy says getting Aubrey's attention. "There's only one seat left. We need two for Beca and Trish."

Chloe and Stacie look at Aubrey. Aubrey just gets up and walks onto the stage. She goes backstage to check on Beca.

"Are you ready?," Aubrey asks. "It's almost 9:00."

"I'm good to go," Beca said.

"Where's Trish?," Aubrey asked.

"She's heading into the ballroom right about now," Beca said.

Aubrey nods her head and walks back out on stage. She sees Trish sitting down at the table.

"Where's Beca?," Amy asked Trish.

"Oh, don't worry," Trish says with a smile. "She'll be here any minute."

Aubrey goes to the microphone and gets everyone's attention.

"It is my pleasure to introduce our special guest performer for the night," Aubrey says. "Girls, give it up for your friend, and mine, Beca Mitchell!"

The girls sit in stunned silence for a moment. They erupt in cheers and catcalls as soon as they see a grinning Beca walk out onstage.

"Thanks, Aubrey," Beca says as Aubrey leaves the stage to take her seat.

"This first half hour is just for you," Beca says. "I'm going to perform songs from my upcoming album that won't actually be released for anther two weeks. So, I'm going to have to ask you to not record or post any of what you are about to hear on Instagram, or Facebook, or any other social media outlet out there. That being said, here we go."

Beca started playing her guitar as the rest of her band came out onstage and joined her. The girls were having a great time. Most of them had not seen Beca in concert before. It was almost time to open the doors to the other hundred guests so Beca said she had one final song to play. It was a little slower than her previous songs. Chloe listened to the lyrics and it was a song about losing someone. As the song continued, all Bellas were wiping tears from their eyes. When Beca sang the last note, the girls all jumped up and cheered.

Beca looked around at all of them with a big smile. She glanced over at Chloe and looked away quickly to find Trish. Trish was smiling and clapping along with everyone else.

"Thank you, awesome nerds," Beca said once they had quieted down. "There's going to a 10 minute break while we let the others in so we'll be back in 10."

Beca and the band left the stage just as the doors were opened for the special ticket holders. The crowd came in and quickly filled the seats. Once everyone was settled, you could hear excited whispers in the crowd. The lights dimmed and the announcer thanked everyone for coming and talked about the Susan G Komen foundation. He then introduced Beca who came running out onto the stage to applause and a standing ovation.

Beca and her band played some of her older songs. Beca played for 90 minutes. When they finished their set, Beca and the band left the stage. The crowd went wild. People were yelling and standing and screaming, "Beca, Beca, Beca." The noise increased almost tenfold when Beca and the band came back onstage. As an encore, Beca played one of the songs that was going to be on her next album. After she finished, Beca thanked everyone for their support and she and the band left the stage. The lights came back on and the crowd let out a collective groan. They didn't want it to be over.

The crowd finally left the room and only the Bellas and Trish remained. The girls were all talking excitedly about how great Beca was.

Beca came out and headed over to where Trish was sitting. Everyone was congratulating her as she walked by. Trish stood up and kissed Beca on the lips. Chloe turned away as she felt tears come to her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Stacie saw Chloe turn away from Beca and Trish kissing. She leaned into Chloe.

"Come on, Chlo," Stacie whispered in Chloe's ear. "You're doing great. You just need to hang on for a few more minutes. Okay?"

Chloe nodded. She wiped her eyes before the tears fell.

Th-thanks, Stacie," Chloe said.

Aubrey was standing next to Beca thanking her for the performance.

"It was really a great show, Beca," Chloe said showing no signs of the tears she was hiding.

"Thanks, Chloe," Beca said blushing. "I'm glad you, you all, liked it."

"How about we head to the bar and get some shots?," Fat Amy says.

Everyone agrees.

"I think I'm going to head up to my room," Chloe said. "I didn't sleep well last night and I'm really tired. I'll see you guys in the morning."

Everyone leaves and Chloe heads to the elevator while the rest of the girls hit the bar. Chloe manages to keep the tears in until she's in her room. She slams the door and leans her back against it.

"Why am I crying?," Chloe thinks to herself. "I should be happy that Beca has found someone."

Chloe wipes the tears from her face as they continue to fall. "So, why does it have to hurt so much?"

Chloe is now sobbing as she slides down the door until she is sitting on the floor. The next thing Chloe knows there is a pounding noise. She lifts her head to see that she is laying on the floor by the door. She doesn't know when she fell asleep or how long she'd been asleep for. Suddenly the banging starts again and she hears someone calling her name.

She stands on shaky legs and opens the door to find Stacie and Aubrey standing there.

"What?," Chloe asks.

"We wanted to make sure you were okay," Stacie says.

Chloe steps aside and opens the door to let them in.

"I was sleeping," Chloe says.

"It's only been an hour since you came up here," Aubrey tells her. "And you're still in your clothes."

"I told you I was tired," Chloe said giving away nothing of the way she was feeling. "I came in and immediately crashed. Now, if there's nothing else, I'd like to go back to sleep."

Aubrey looked at Chloe. She looked tired. Aubrey still had a feeling there was more to it but she couldn't figure out what it was.

Stacie also looked at Chloe. She knew that Chloe had come close to crying after seeing Beca and Trish kissing. But she seemed normal, and just tired now.

"Okay," Aubrey said. "We just wanted to check on you and we did. We'll say our good nights and let you get back to sleep. Sorry to have woken you."

"It's okay," Chloe said. "Thanks for looking out for me, but I'm fine. I'll see you at breakfast."

Chloe opens the door to let the two girls out.

"See you at breakfast," Stacie said, giving Chloe a kiss on the cheek as she walks out.

"You know you can talk to me," Aubrey said stopping in front of Chloe.

"I know," Chloe says quietly.

"I'll see you at breakfast,"Aubrey says and leaves.

Chloe closes the door behind them. She opens it a moment later and puts the 'do not disturb' sign on the door handle. She closes the door and goes over to her bed. She takes off her shoes, jeans, and shirt and crawls into bed. She turns out the lights and is asleep in seconds.

Stacie goes back to Aubrey's room with her. She hadn't seen the blonde in over 3 months and she was making up for lost time. Stacie walks over and puts her arms around Aubrey's waist. She moves the blonde's hair and starts kissing her neck.

"Do you think Chloe is really okay?," Aubrey asks.

"So, we're going to talk about Chloe now?," Stacie asks pulling away from Aubrey.

"I'm sorry, babe," Aubrey says. "It's just I haven't seen Chloe in several years and she doesn't seem herself."

"Well, she is the President and CEO of a mult-million dollar company," Stacie said. "And then all the stuff with her dad making her marry that guy Ray, and her divorce. Plus, seeing Beca after all these years with someone else. That's going to take a lot out of anyone."

"I guess," Aubrey says.

"I know we haven't seen each other for a few months," Stacie says. "But why didn't you tell me Beca was engaged? It happened kind of fast don't you think?"

"It's complicated," Aubrey said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Beca didn't want any of the Bellas to know. She hadn't planned on bringing Trish but she sort of insisted on coming so she could meet everybody before the wedding."

Aubrey pulls Stacie into her. She kisses Stacie and the kiss gets heated pretty fast.

"Let's not talk about Beca or Chloe anymore tonight," Aubrey said.

"Good," Stacie says. "I can think of better things to do with my mouth besides talk."

Aubrey kisses Stacie again, slowly pushing her back toward the bed.

Beca and Fat Amy are the last two still hanging out at the bar. Trish got tired and had gone to back to the room to go to sleep. Beca was still on a high from her concert.

"Here's to Beca Effin' Mitchell," Fat Amy said, raising her shot glass to Beca.

Beca taps her shot glass to Amy's and both girls downed their drinks. Beca coughed slightly.

"Wow," Beca said. "I haven't had tequila in a while."

"I find that hard to believe," Amy says, waving the bartender over.

Amy and Beca both order a beer. The bartender grabs two bottles and sets them on the bar in front of the girls.

"Believe it," Beca tells her. "Tequila gets me into too much trouble."

"Sounds like quite a story," Fat Amy says. "Do tell."

"Maybe another time," Beca says sipping her beer. "Let's just say it complicated my life and I don't know how to un-complicate it."

"Well, if you ever need to talk," Amy said seriously. "I'm here. Let's not lose touch again. Okay?"

"I know," Beca said. "I was a real dick just cutting everyone off back then. I was hurting so bad and I didn't know any other way of handling things. But, I promise, it won't happen again."

By 2:00 am everyone is in bed and sleeping. Chloe was awakened at 7:00 am by the sound of her phone ringing. She reached onto the night stand where she had left it charging and checked the caller ID. She sighed and answered the phone.

"What, dad?," she snapped.

"Is that any way to talk to your father?," her father yelled at her.

"What do you want?," Chloe said through clenched teeth.

"Ray was arrested last night," her father said.

"And I need to know this why?," Chloe asked.

"He was your husband for God's sake," her father snapped at her.

"Was is the operative word," Chloe snapped back. "And that was only because you forced me to marry him. We're divorced now so he is no longer my concern."

Chloe hung up the phone and shut it off. She knew her dad would just call back and yell at her. She held the reins of the company now and did not answer to him. Not having her father around her constantly was one of the high points of moving to LA. She knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep so she got up and got in the shower.

Trish woke a little after 7:00 am. Beca was still asleep so she quietly went into the bathroom to shower and get dressed. Once she was ready she decided to head down to the hotel restaurant and grab some breakfast and take a walk. She knew Beca would sleep for several more hours and she wanted to see a little of Atlanta. She was surprised to see Chloe already in the restaurant when she got there. She went over to Chloe's table.

"Hey, Chloe," Trish said.

"Hey, Trish," Chloe responded. "What are you doing up already?"

"I was going to ask the same of you," Trish said with a laugh. "Mind if I join you?"

"Oh, um, yeah, sure," Chloe says. "I'm just waiting for Aubrey and Stacie."

"I just wanted to talk to you about your move," Trish said.

"What about it?," Chloe asked.

A waitress comes over and asks Trish if she'd liked to order. Trish says she'll just have coffee now and will order when the rest of the party arrives. She then returns to her conversation with Chloe.

"Well," Trish said. "I know you need to move in like 6 weeks. I'm not sure we can do closing and all that before you actually move."

"Really?," Chloe asked. "I'm willing to pay whatever I need to so I can move in as quickly as possible."

"It's not a money issue," Trish said. "It's more the paperwork and inspection. That sort of thing."

"Oh," Chloe said. "What if I just pick one of the houses you were going to show me? Could we get everything started now?"

"I wouldn't be a very good real estate agent, or friend, if I allowed you buy something, sight unseen," Trish told her. "I do have a temporary solution if you want to hear it?"

"Um, okay," Chloe said. "What is it?"

"You can stay in my condo until everything is settled," Trish said. "I've practically moved in with Beca and am hardly ever at the condo. It's just sitting there empty."

"I can't ask you to do that," Chloe said.

"You're not asking," Trish said. "I'm offering. It's furnished, it's near your new office, it's available immediately. What more can you ask for?"

Before Chloe could respond, Aubrey and Stacie appeared at the table.

"Good morning," Stacie said.

"Good morning," Trish responds.

"Good morning to you both," Aubrey said taking a seat.

"Hey," Chloe says.

The waitress comes back and all the girls place their orders. The waitress leaves and everyone sits quietly.

"So," Aubrey says breaking the silence. "What were you two talking about?"

"I was just offering Chloe the temporary use of my condo when she comes to LA," Trish said.

"I thought you were buying a house?," Stacie asked Chloe.

"I am," Chloe said. "I just may not be able to move in as soon as I had hoped."

"My condo is just sitting there empty," Trish said. "I think it's the perfect solution for Chloe."

"That's very nice of you," Aubrey said.

"Well," Trish said. "I have a feeling we're going to be great friends. It's the least I can do."

"It does sound like a great idea, Chloe," Stacie says.

"I agree," Aubrey says. "It will take some of the pressure off of the move and opening the new office."

"What do you say, Chloe?," Trish asked.

Chloe looked down at her empty coffee cup. She knew Trish was just being nice, but she still felt weird about the whole thing. She couldn't think of one good reason why she shouldn't accept Trish's offer. Oh, there is one - she is hopelessly in love with Trish's fiance.

"Um, thank you, Trish," Chloe said. "I'll take you up on your offer. I'll pay rent or utilities or whatever while I'm there."

"Not necessary," Trish said. "My dad bought the condo for me and has a 'household account' set up to automatically pay for everything. You'll only have to worry about food."

"Okay, then," Chloe says with a smile.

The girls finish her breakfast and Trish says she was going to take a walk around and do a little sightseeing.

"We were going to do the same thing," Stacie says. "We can go together."

"Great," Trish says enthusiastically. "Beca is still sleeping and knowing her she won't be up for hours."

"Care to come with, Chloe?," Aubrey asks,

"Yeah," Chloe says. "Sounds good."

The waitress brings the check and, over everyone's objections, Chloe takes care it for everyone.

"Ready to go?," Stacie asks.

"I just need to text Beca real quick," Trish says. "Let her know where I am so she doesn't worry."

Trish sends her text and the girls leave the hotel. Trish grabs Chloe's arm and Chloe throws a shocked look over her shoulder at Aubrey. Aubrey just smiles and raises her eyebrow. Chloe rolls her eyes and stops. She stoops down to tie her shoe and manages to keep Trish from grabbing her arm when she resumes walking.

The four girls walk around and had a good time. They made their way back to the hotel when Beca texted Trish that she was up and wanted to get lunch.

"Beca's up," Trish said. "She said something about lunch. You should all come too."

Stacie and Aubrey looked at Chloe.

"Brey, did you make any plans for lunch with the Bellas today?," Chloe asked.

"No," Aubrey said. "Today was just to do whatever you wanted. Although, we could see if all the Bellas were up for lunch together."

"Maybe we could just meet back at the hotel restaurant," Stacie said. "Send out a group text to the Bellas and let them know so if they want to join they can."

"Great idea," Aubrey says. She takes out her phone and sends out the text.

"I'll text Beca," Trish said.

The girls make it back to the hotel and find Beca, Amy, Ashley, Jessica, CR, Denise, and Lily already at a table. The girls all sit and Chloe finds herself sitting next to Trish. The waitress comes and takes everyone's drink order.

Chloe notices that Beca and Trish are having a whispered discussion that seems to be a little heated. She tries to ignore it but can't help listening when she hears her name.

"Why would you do that?," Beca asks Trish.

"Because her house won't be ready in time," Trish said. "It's my condo and I can do whatever I want with it."

"Where are you going to stay?," Beca asks looking around to see if anyone is listening.

"With you of course," Trish said. "I've practically moved in anyway."

Beca sighs and runs her hands through her hair and down her face. She doesn't get a chance to say anything more as their drinks are brought to the table. The waitress then takes their lunch orders and leaves the table. CR asks Trish about how she and Beca met.

"Well, my dad is Beca's boss," Trish says. "He owns the recording studio Beca works at. Beca mentioned she was looking to buy a house and my dad recommended me since I'm a real estate agent. While looking around for a house we hit it off and started hanging out. And, long story short, now we're engaged."

"Well, congratulations," CR said, "I wish you both nothing but happiness."

"Thank you," Trish says.

"Thanks, CR," Beca said. "I hope you'll all be able to make the wedding."

"When is it?," Ashley asked.

"July 5th," Beca tells them.

"Whoa," CR says. "That's like two months away. Will it be in LA?"

"Yeah," Beca said.

"I'll try and make it," CR says. "I can't promise though. My wife and I have reservations to take the kids to Disney World at the end of June. I don't know if I'll be able to get any more time off."

Lily and Denise both say they should be able to make it.

"I'm just in San Francisco," Ashley says. "I'll put it on my calendar and be there."

"I live in San Mateo," Jessica said. "I think I can make it. Hey, Ashley, maybe you can pick me up and we can go together."

"I'd like that," Ashley says with a smile. "Looks like we'll both be there."

"I don't care what I have to do," Fat Amy says. "I'll be there."

"What about you, Chloe?," Trish asks. "You'll already be in LA."

"I'll do my best," Chloe said. "But work keeps me really busy. Our office will have only been opened about 2 weeks, so I'll have to see how it goes."

"What about you, Aubrey?," Ashley asked.

"Well, seeing as I'm Beca's Maid of Honor," Aubrey says. "I have to be there."

"And, I'll definitely be her plus one," Stacie says.

"Aubrey already gave us all your addresses," Beca said. "You should actually receive your invitations by the time you get back home."

"I'm so glad most of you can make it," Trish said. "I need some normal people there. My dad has invited practically the entire client list of the studio, not to mention most of the employees."

"What clients?," Fat Amy asks.

"People like Adele, and Pink," Trish says. "Um, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Beyonce."

"Holy shit, Beca!," Fat Amy says. "You're going to have Beyonce at your wedding!?"

"I'm not sure, yet," Beca said. "She was invited. It doesn't mean she'll come."

Trish laughs. "I'm sorry," she tells them. "I'm so used to being around all of them since my dad owns the studio, I forgot it's a big deal when they show up to something we're having."

"Beca," Stacie says. "You've been working for Trish's dad for five years, and you didn't meet until like 6 months ago?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "Our paths may have never crossed then if I hadn't mentioned I was looking for a house to buy."

"It's a wonder we ever met at all," Trish said. "I've been to see my dad so many times and all I ever heard was 'Beca is such an asset to the studio' and 'I guarantee Beca will win a grammy this year.' She was always busy recording somewhere in the studio whenever I was there."

The food is served and everyone starts to eat. Several conversations are going on around the table.

"How are you holding up with all the wedding talk?," Stacie whispers to Chloe.

"Pretty good actually," Chloe said. "I'm just trying to work out in my head how to avoid the wedding without seeming petty."

"At this point," Stacie said. "I think the only one who thinks you're really going to try and make it is Trish. No one else will fault you for not wanting to go."

"I know," Chloe said. "But, I wouldn't be much of a friend to Beca if I don't go."

"Well," Stacie said. "Aubrey will be busy with Maid of Honor duties so you can always hang out with me."

"That's tempting," Chloe says with a smile. "But, I do need to see how things are going at work first. I'll do my best to be there."

"That's all we ask," Stacie said.

Chloe's phone rang and she looked at the caller ID.

"Would you please excuse me," Chloe said to the group. "I really need to take this."

Chloe accepts the call and says "Chloe Beale" as she walks toward the lobby. The others watch her leave.

"She seems really stressed," Ashley says.

"Being made the President and CEO of a multi-million dollar company at 23," Jessica said. "Will do that to you."

"I read that profits since she took over have gone up something like 300%," Stacie says. "She knows her stuff. To bad it puts such a crimp in her social life."

"We need to get her to relax," Trish said. "I really like her and I want to make sure when she comes to LA she isn't always working."

"She already said that she would be super busy getting the new office up and running," Beca said. "I don't think she'll be up for socializing for a while."

"We'll see about that," Trish says with a small smile.

"I know that look," Beca says. "That's your 'I've got them on the hook now I just have to slowly reel them in' look."

Chloe comes back to the table.

"Brey," Chloe says. "I can't have breakfast with you tomorrow. I need to catch an earlier flight to LA. Can we do dinner tonight? We can order room service in my room and talk."

"Sure," Aubrey says. "Everything okay?"

"Just a few problems with the new office," Chloe said. "I have to try and put out some fires. They wanted me to leave tonight but I told them no."

"What time will you be leaving tomorrow?," CR asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Chloe says. "My assistant will text me the details as soon as she knows them."

"Well, I for one expect to hear from you now and then," CR says. "No more radio silence. Okay?"

"Don't worry," Chloe said. "I missed all you girls. It won't be another five years before we see or speak to each other. I promise."

"What exactly does your company do?," Fat Amy asks Chloe.

"Well," Chloe says. "Beale Corp. is like the umbrella and we oversee a lot of smaller companies. We work with anything from micro-chips, to research, to recording equipment."

"Recording equipment?," Beca asks.

"Yeah," Chloe says. "We own 'BizWiz. They manufacture the 'Biz2000'."

"No way," Beca says mouth agape. "We use the 'Biz2000' in the studio. It's like the best recording equipment around."

"Thank you," Chloe says with a small laugh. "Wait until you see the 'Biz3000' in action. It should be available in about 6 months or so. I've actually been working with them on it myself."

"Why is the CEO taking such an interest in this particular piece of equipment?," Trish asked.

"Um, because of Beca actually," Chloe said. "When we were at Barden she used to talk about producing music all the time. When I heard about 'BizWiz' it brought back some fond memories. I just had to buy the company. I want to make sure that the product we put out is worthy of the Beale name backing it."

"Look at you," Stacie said nudging Chloe's shoulder. "Being all corporate and everything?"

Chloe blushed. She could feel Beca's stare and it took every ounce or restraint not to look at her.

* * *

 **A/N: I made up the Biz2000 equipment and BizWiz name. If there really is such a thing out there, it is purely coincidental.**


	6. Chapter 6

Aubrey knocks on Chloe's hotel room door. Chloe answers and the tall blonde enters.

"Let's order room service before we do anything else," Chloe said.

She and Aubrey look at the room service menu and make their selections. Chloe calls and places their orders.

"It will be here in about 30 minutes," Chloe tells Aubrey.

"I'm going to run back to my room and put on my pajamas," Aubrey says. "We're going to have a sleepover."

Chloe laughs and Aubrey rushes out the door. She's back about 15 minutes later wearing green silk pajamas. The two get comfortable and chat about the reunion and Beca's performance the night before. There is a knock on the door and Chloe lets the waiter in. He places everything on the table and exits the room. Aubrey and Chloe sit down to eat.

"This reminds me of our Barden days," Aubrey said.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "We did eat a lot of takeout."

"That's because the campus diner food was the worst," Aubrey said. "I must say I was really glad that my roommate had money."

"So, that's all I was to you?," Chloe asks feigning hurt. "A meal ticket?"

"Yep," Aubrey says with a laugh.

Chloe lightly smacks her on the arm. Chloe's phone pings with a new text message causing Chloe to groan.

"Go ahead," Aubrey says. "It might be important."

Chloe sighs and checks her phone.

"It's my new flight information for tomorrow," Chloe says. "We may have to make this an early night. My flight leaves at 8:00 am tomorrow. I'll have to be at the airport by 7:00, which also means I have to be up by 5:00."

Chloe throws her phone on the bed and rejoins Aubrey at the table.

"I'm sorry, Brey," Chloe says. "I really hoped we could have some one-on-one time to reconnect. I really miss you."

"I miss you, too," Aubrey says. "But, I'll be in LA for a few weeks before Beca's wedding. We can get together then."

"I'll try," Chloe said. "But, I'll be busy with the new office. I wish I could delegate some of my responsibilities so I have more free time, but I can't."

"I understand," Aubrey said. "You've become the 'Company Woman' your dad always wanted you to be."

Chloe sighed. As much as she wanted to deny it, Aubrey was right. She has become the one thing she never wanted to be. Someone who was married to their work. God she wished she could just walk away from it all.

"Chloe," Aubrey says getting Chloe's attention. "You okay? I've been calling your name for a few minutes."

"Sorry," Chloe said. "I just got lost inside my own head. Let's not worry about early flights, or being a comany woman, and just enjoy the time we have to be together now."

"Here, here," Aubrey said.

Chloe filled Aubrey in on everything that happened since they graduated from Barden, including her divorce from Ray Matthews.

"Yep," Chloe said. "Best five million dollars I ever spent. Oh, did I tell you? My dad woke me up early this morning with a call to tell me that Ray had been arrested last night."

"Arrested?," Aubrey said. "What for?"

"Don't know," Chloe said. "And, don't care. He is no longer my concern."

Before Aubrey could say anthing else, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw Stacie's name.

"I have to take this," Aubrey told Chloe. "It's Stacie."

Aubrey answered the phone. She spoke to Stacie for just a minute and hung up.

"I didn't realize how late it was," Aubrey said. "You need to pack and get to bed."

Chloe checked the time and saw that it was already 11:00.

"Shit," Chloe said. "You're right. I'm sorry we have to call it a night."

"I understand," Aubrey tells her. "I'll see you in LA in a few weeks."

"Yeah," Chloe said.

Chloe walks Aubrey to the door and gives her a hug.

"Be safe, Brey," Chloe tells her.

Aubrey nods her head and tells Chloe goodbye. Chloe closes the door and starts packing. She leaves out what she will need in the morning and places her luggage near the door. She decides to take a quick shower before she goes to bed. She puts on her pajamas and sets her phone's alarm. She gets into bed and falls asleep almost immediately.

Chloe's alarm goes off at 5:00 am and she reluctantly gets up. She uses the bathroom and brushes her teeth. She gets dressed and packs away her pajamas and toiletries. She calls the front desk to verify that the car she reserved would be there by 6:00 am to take her to the airport. Chloe leaves her room at 5:40 and heads to the lobby to wait for the car.

Chloe gets off elevator and sees Beca and Trish sitting in the lobby, each with a carryon suitcase next to them.

"Chloe!," Trish calls out. "What are you doing up at this ungodly hour."

"My assistant booked me on an 8:00 flight to LA," Chloe said. "I'm just waiting for my car to take me to the airport."

"Oh, my God," Trish exclaims. "We're on the 8:00 flight to LA, too."

"Just great," Chloe thought.

"Wow," Chloe said. "What a coincidence."

Beca mumlbed something that neither girl understood.

"She needs coffee," Trish and Chloe both say at the same time.

Trish laughs.

"I guess some things never change," Trish says.

"Ms. Beale?," a voice calls out.

"I'm Chloe Beale," Chloe says.

"Good morning, miss," an older gentleman says as he walks up to Chloe. "I'm David, your driver."

"Oh," Chloe says. "Good morning."

"Is this your luggage?," David asks.

"Yes," Chloe says. "This is all of it."

"Very good," David says and takes Chloe's luggae to the car.

"Um," Chloe says looking at Beca and Trish. "Do you guys have a way to airport?"

"We were just going to get a cab," Trish says.

"You can ride with me," Chloe says. "We're all going to the same place."

"Thank you," Trish says. "Come on, Beca."

"What?," Beca says.

"Chloe's giving us a ride to the airport," Trish says. "You can sleep in the car and on the plane. Let's go."

Beca slowly gets up and follows Trish and Chloe outside. Chloe talks to David and he put Beca and Trish's luggage in the car. Once everything is loaded the three girls get in and David leaves the hotel.

Beca sits in the front and leans her head back and closes her eyes. Chloe and Trish share the backseat and are chatting.

"Where are you sitting?," Trish says. "On the plane."

"First Class," Choe says.

"We're in First Class, too," Trish says.

"Great," Chloe says. "I'll have someone to talk to."

"Once we get to LA we'll take you to my condo," Trish says. "Might as well move in now, instead of later."

"Um, that's okay," Chloe says. "I've already got my hotel reservation for this trip."

"Nonsense," Trish says. "The condo is closer to your new office. It just makes sense."

"Okay," Chloe says with a small smile. "I'll have my assistant cancel the hotel. Are there a lot of food places around your condo? I wasn't kidding when I said I usually order in."

"Oh, there are plenty," Trish says. "I have a drawer full of take out menus. Some of them are your typical Chinese, Pizza, that sort of thing. But, there are a few that are actual restaurants that you can order for pick up. They're close so you can call before you leave your office and pick it up on our way home."

"Thanks," Chloe says.

They continue chatting with Trish telling Chloe all the things they must show Chloe when she actually moves to LA.

Chloe leans her head back. She tries not to stare at Beca. She always loved when she woke up first because she would just lay there and stare at Beca while she slept. Beca was so beautiful, but she never really thought she was. Morning kisses with Beca was her favorite thing to do. Chloe shook her head to get the memory out of her head.

"You okay, Chloe?," Trish asks.

"What?," Chloe says. "Oh, sorry. I'm just trying to keep myself awake."

"I would say go ahead and take a nap," Trish says. "But we're almost to the airport now."

Chloe looked out the window and sure enough they were entering the airport. David maneuvered the car like pro and pulled up to the drop off curb.

"Beca," Trish called shaking Beca's shoulder. "We're here. Wake up."

Beca lifts her head and stretches her arms. She looks around and then gets out of the car. Chloe and Trish have exited and are waiting for David to unload their luggage. Chloe thanks David and gives him a nice tip.

"I have to check one of my bags," Chloe said pointing to the curbside baggage check. "I guess I'll see you guys at the gate."

"We're going to hit Starbucks first," Trish says. "Can we get you a coffee or something?"

"Yes, please," Chloe says. "I'll have a-"

"Caramel macchiato with extra caramel," Beca cuts in.

"You remember that?," Chloe asks surprised.

"I remember a lot of things," Beca said.

"Wow," Chloe said. "Please don't give away all my secrets. I don't want to scare Trish away."

Beca laughs.

"No worries," Beca said.

Chloe just smiled. She liked that they could joke about some things. Beca and Trish left Chloe to find a Starbucks. Chloe checks her bag and heads to the First Class lounge. She sat and sent a text to her assistant to cancel her hotel reservation and then checked her emails.

Beca and Trish come in and Trish hands Chloe her macchiato. The all sit and Chloe resumes checking and responding to work emails. Beca is once again sitting with her head back and eyes closed.

The announcement for boarding is made and the three gather their carryon bags and head to the gate. They board and Chloe finds herself sitting two rows in front of Beca and Trish.

"At least I don't have to watch them be all coupley," Chloe thinks.

Chloe puts her carryon away and sits down. She fastens her seat belt and leans back in her seat.

The plane is finally loaded and they start to taxi to the runway. The takeoff is smooth and Chloe pulls out her phone and earbuds. She decides to listen to some music and must have dozed off. The next thing she knows the stewardess it telling her they are preparing for landing and she needed to turn her phone off. Chloe sits up and puts her phone and earbuds away.

The landing is a little rough and once the plane lands Chloe stands up and stretches. She grabs her carryon and sees Beca doing the same. She moves down next to her and waits. Beca hands Trish her bag and they proceed to walk off the plane.

"I have to get my checked bag," Chloe says. "I can meet you somewhere if you'd like."

"Nonsense," Trish says. "This time you can ride with us. Beca has a car and we'll go to baggage claim with you."

"Um," Beca said. "I may not be able to do that."

"Why?," Trish asked.

Beca just pointed at a group of paparazzi.

"Oh," Trish said. "It doesn't look like they've noticed you yet, so maybe you can sneak out to the car and we'll meet you outside once we get Chloe's luggage."

"Okay," Beca says and pulls out her phone as she walks away. She keeps her head down and manages to get past the paparazzi without them recognizing her.

"I forgot Beca is famous," Chloe said. "Are the paparazzi always around?"

"Yeah," Trish says. "Sometimes it can be a major pain, but they are usually respectful of Beca because she will actually stop and let them take photos and talk to them."

Trish fills Chloe in on some of the things the paparazzi have done to get Beca's picture. The two women are laughing as they exit the airport. Trish spots their car and leads Chloe to it. The driver gets out and puts their luggage in the back and the girls get in.

They reach Trish's condo. The driver parks and gets Chloe's luggage and escorts the three women to the condo. Trish opens the door and allows Chloe to enter.

"Wow," Chloe says. "This is really nice."

"Yeah," Trish says. "Wait until you see the view."

Trish opens the curtains and Chloe is speechless. The view is spectacular.

"I love to sit here on the sofa with a glass of wine," Trish says. "The sunset view is amazing."

Beca sits on the sofa while Trish gves Chloe a tour of the condo.

"This is the master bedroom," Trish says opening one of the doors. "There's a full bath through that door there and a walk-in closet through that door." Trish points out the appropriate doors to Chloe.

The tour is completed and Trish hands Chloe the keys and a card with the codes for the security alarm.

"It's all yours for as long as you need it," Trish says. "I know you need to check in with your office, so we'll leave you to it."

Chloe thanks Trish again. As soon as Trish and Beca leave Chloe goes through the take out menus and places an order for food. She missed whatever they served on the plane since she had slept the whole flight.

She sat down on the sofa and called her assistant, Karen.

"Chloe Beale's office, Karen speaking," Chloe's assistant answers the phone. "How may I assist you?"

"Hey, Karen," Chloe says. "It's Chloe."

"Hey, Chloe," Karen says. "You have a meeting scheduled this afternoon for 3:00 pm LA time. The contractors and building inspectors will be there. The inspection should have taken place two weeks ago but the contractors had some issues. If the building doesn't pass inspection we have to wait another two weeks before they'll schedule another one."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Anything else I need to worry about?"

"I set up some interviews for you on Friday and Monday," Karen said. "They are scattered throughout the day and they all look good. Well, at least on paper they do."

"I hate that your not coming to LA with me," Chloe said. "You know everything about me, the job, and the company. I won't have time to train someone to bring them up to par with you. Are you sure I can't change your mind?"

"If I were single, I'd be in LA already," Karen said with a laugh. "Plus, the twins would hate me if I uprooted them right before Senior Year."

"I know," Chloe sighs. "How are Sarah and Michelle doing?"

"Good," Karen told them. "They want to have you over for dinner before you make the big move. So, I'll make sure your schedule is free one night before you head to LA."

"Definitely," Chloe said. "And remind them that I'd better get an invite to their graduation next year."

"You know they will," Karen said.

There is a knock on the door.

"I gotta run," Chloe told Karen. "My lunch is here. Oh, by the way, can you call the car service and give them my new location? I'll need them to take me to the office this afternoon. You can text me the details and contact info."

"Will do," Karen said. "Talk to you soon."

Chloe hangs up as she answers the door. She takes the food and goes into the kitchen. She empties the bag, grabs a bottle of water, and sits on the sofa to eat.

At 2:30 her driver, Mark, texts her to let her know he is outside. Chloe gathers her things and heads to the elevator. She gets to the new building and loves how the exterior is modern but classic at the same time. Her driver goes into the underground parking garage and parks. Chloe gets out and takes the elevator to the 8th and top floor of the building.

Chloe puts out all the fires that the Board were concerned with and visits some of the offices. She meets some of the staff that are helping to get the office up and running so there is a smooth transition when the Tampa folks come in.

It is close to 7:00 before Chloe is ready to leave. She texts her drive and heads down to the garage. She gets back to the condo and decides to reheat some of her leftovers from lunch. After she eats, she takes her luggage from the master bedroom into the largest of the guest rooms. She was not going to sleep on the same bed that Beca and Trish slept together on.

Chloe unpacks her suitcases and puts her clothes away. She decides to take a shower and get ready for bed. She is sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine (Trish did say to help herself to whatever she wanted) and her laptop. She responded to emails and finally decided to call it a night at around 11:00 pm.

The next two days are spent waking early to go for a run and spending the rest of the time in the office. She makes it home a little earlier on Wednesday and decides to make a stop at the market around the corner from the condo. She tells Mark she doesn't need him again until Friday morning. She gets a few things and walks to the condol. She orders dinner and sits on the sofa to eat.

She is sitting on the sofa having a glass of wine when her phone pings with a text message. She unlocks her screen.

 _Trish: Don't forget, Beca and I will pick you up at 9:00 tomorrow._

 _Chloe: I'll be ready. See you then._

 _Trish: Don't eat a big breakfast. I want to take you to one of my favorite places for lunch. It is close to at least three of the houses we'll see tomorrow._

 _Chloe: Can't wait._

Chloe finishes her wine and gets ready for bed. She sets her alarm for 6:00 so she can get an early run in before she has to meet Beca and Trish. She has managed to tire herself out the past two days and hasn't really thought much (as in only 3or 4 times a day) about Beca. As she lays on the bed, her thoughts go back to when she first met Beca. She falls asleep with thoughts of Beca playing in her head.

Beca and Trish and right on time. Chloe meets them outside and they head off. Trish starts telling Chloe about the first house they are going to see. Chloe likes the house but it's not quite what she's looking for. They continue on and at the third house, Chloe is liking everything about it. It has a pool, it is about 10 minutes from the new office, it is all one level, it has the shower she wanted, it has a large gourmet kitchen, and a room off the living room that she can use for an office. It does have a bigger yard than she wanted but she could hire a landscaping service to take care of it.

"I really like this one," Chloe says. "What's the asking price?"

"Nine-hundred seventy-five thousand," Trish says.

"That sounds kind of low for this area," Chloe said. "Is there something I should know?"

"No," Trish says. "It's been on and off the market for a couple of years now. Some family fighting over it since the owner died. They finally decided they just wanted to get rid of it."

"I'll take it," Chloe said. "I'll pay the asking price and can have a cerified check within two days."

"Seriously?," Trish says.

"Yes," Chloe said. "It has everything I'm looking for. I know this is going to sound weird, but, it feels like I belong here."

"Let me make a quick call," Trish said. "If the owners accept, you could probably move in whenever you want."

Trish goes outside to make her call, leaving Chloe and Beca alone for the first time since they talked at the reunion.

"I knew this was the house you'd choose," Beca said.

"Really?," Chloe said. "And how did you know that?"

"It's almost exactly as you described the home we'd live in one day," Beca says.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Tears came to Chloe's eyes and she wiped them away quickly when Trish came back in.

"The owners have accepted your offer," Trish says. "They can meet early next week to close and after that you can plan to move in whenever you want."

"Perfect," Chloe said with a smile.

"Let's go to lunch and celebrate," Trish said.

The three left and headed for the restaurant Trish had told Chloe about. They were halfway through the meal and Chloe had to admit that it was really good. She could see her coming back here frequently.

"Hey, Chloe," Trish said. "I have something to ask you and I hope you'll consider it and not just dismiss it out of hand."

"What is it?," Chloe asked curious to know what Trish had in mind.

"Well," Trish said. "I really don't have any real friends. Most of them are only friends who use me to get to my dad. Or they expect me to pay for everything whenever we're together."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chloe said with sincerity.

"It is what it is," Trish says dismissively.

Chloe sits and waits for Trish to continue. Beca is watching Trish with a confused look on her face. Neither girl knew exactly what Trish was leading up to.

"Chloe," Trish said. "Would you be my maid of honor?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone. Sorry about taking so long to update. This chapter gave me some trouble. I kind of had some writer's block; and then I rewrote it about three times before I was okay with it. It could be better but it does follow along with what I had envisioned when I started writing. This is not the end. There are a few more chapters before all is said and done. Reviews are welcome, but don't be too harsh.**

* * *

 _"Chloe," Trish said. "Would you be my maid of honor?"_

Beca's eyes widen and she looks over at Chloe. Chloe's face shows nothing.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said. "Did you just ask **me** to be your maid of honor?"

"Um," Beca says. "Trish. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Yes, to both questions," Trish said. "Look, Chloe, I know it seems weird since we just met, but I feel a connection to you. We get along and I want someone standing with me that I actually don't mind being around."

"I don't know, Trish," Chloe says. "I already told you I'd be busy with the new office and I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to make it to the wedding."

"I know," Trish said. "But, it would mean so much to me and Beca if you were there, especially since you two made up and are friends again. And, it would mean so much more to me if you were there as my maid of honor."

Chloe sighs and looks at Beca and then to Trish.

"I'm sorry, Trish," Chloe said. "I, I can't."

Trish's face shows her disappointment.

"Is it because you and Beca have a history?," Trish asked.

Beca's head snapped up and her eyes were wide as she looked at Trish. Chloe's face remained impassive.

"Why would you say something like that?," Beca asked.

"Are you going to tell me it's not true?," Trish said to Beca. "I can tell by the way you two look at each other. You both still have feelings for the other."

"I'm sorry, Trish," Chloe said. "I don't know what to tell you. This is a conversation you and Beca should be having."

"Actually," Trish said. "Beca and I need to have this conversation with you. I think it's time you knew what was going on."

"Trish," Beca hissed. "I don't think we need to go down that path."

"I think we do" Trish said. "I think we need to tell her everything."

"I don't," Beca said.

"Excuse me," Chloe said. "You two apparently have something to work out so I'm just going to go now. I am sorry, Trish."

Chloe stood up and gathered her things. She dropped some money on the table and started walking away.

"Stop!," Trish called out getting up from the table. "Please, Chloe. Don't go."

Chloe looked back at Trish. She shook her head and turned and walked out. Chloe found a cab to take her back to the condo. She poured herself a glass of wine and sat at the kitchen counter. She decided to call Aubrey.

"Aubrey Posen," Aubrey answered.

"Hey, Brey," Chloe said. "You got a minute?"

"Hey, Chloe," Aubrey said. "I'm just heading out for a meeting. Can I call you later?"

"Um, yeah," Chloe said. "That's fine. Talk to you later."

"Talk to you later," Aubrey said and hung up.

Chloe decided to call Jessica. Maybe she knew what was going on.

"Hey, Chloe," Jessica said.

"Hey, Jess," Chloe said. "Do you have some time to talk?"

"Sure," Jessica said. "What's up?"

"I'm not sure," Chloe said. "I just had the weirdest conversation with Beca and Trish."

"Really?," Jessica asked. "What happened?"

Chloe told Jessica about how she spent her morning and then the conversation at lunch.

"I don't know what it is Trish wanted to tell me," Chloe said. "But, Beca sure didn't want her to. Is there something going on with those two? What could they possibly have to tell me?"

"I wish I knew," Jessica said. "I'm pretty sure Aubrey knows what it is. She alluded to it a couple of times at the reunion, only to follow up with it wasn't her place to tell us."

"That sounds like Aubrey," Chloe said with a chuckle. "I did call her first but she was busy. I'll just have to wait until she calls me back."

"Sorry I couldn't be of any help," Jessica said. "I also hate to cut this short, but my lunch break is over and I need to get back to work."

"Of course," Chloe said. "I'll talk to you later."

They hung up after promising to talk soon. Chloe sipped her wine and kept thinking about what Trish wanted her to know so badly. Chloe's phone pings with a text message. She looks at her phone and sees it's from Beca.

 _Beca: Can we talk?_

 _Chloe: Are you going to tell me whatever it is Trish wanted to tell me? Will Trish be there? Does she know you're texting me?_

 _Beca: It's complicated._

 _Chloe: Then no._

 _Beca: Please? There's a coffee shop called "Drips" about a block from the condo. Meet me there in 15 minutes._

Chloe doesn't respond. Two minutes later Beca sends another text.

 _Beca: Seriously, Chloe._

 _Chloe: No, Beca. I'm not going to sneak around behind Trish's back even if it is just to talk._

It was an ahour later, and Chloe hadn't received any more texts from Beca. She pours herself some more wine and sits on the sofa with her laptop. She is just scrolling around Facebook when there is a knock on the door. Chloe goes to the door with her wine glass in her hand and looks out the peephole to see who it is. She is expecting to see Beca but instead she sees Trish.

"I wonder what she's doing here," Chloe thinks to herself.

Chloe opens the door.

"Hey, Trish," Chloe says. "Everything okay?"

"I'm sorry to just show up like this," Trish says. "But, I really do want to explain. May I come in?"

"It's actually your place, Trish," Chloe said. "So, I think you're allowed to come in."

Trish gives Chloe a small smile and enters the condo. She paces a bit and heads into the kitchen and sits down at the counter. Chloe follows her and sips her wine while leaning back against the counter.

"Beca is supposed to meet me here," Trish said. "We need to tell you everything. I don't think we should keep it from you anymore."

"Trish," Chloe said. "Beca already tried to get me to meet her and talk. I said no because whatever it is that's going on between the two of you, is none of my business."

"But it really is," Trish said. "I'm calling Beca to see where she is."

"Please don't do that, Trish," Chloe pleads.

Trish has already dialed Beca's number and Chloe can hear it ringing.

"Beca," Trish said. "I'm at the condo. Where are you? I'm telling Chloe everything in exactly 20 minutes, with or without you."

Trish doesn't give Beca a chance to say anything and just hangs up the phone.

"Now we wait," Trish says. "Mind if I have a glass of wine."

Chloe gets a glass for Trish and pours the wine. She hands the glass to Trish and sits at the counter. She shifts in her seat, uncomfortable with the silence that has settled over the two. Chloe and Trish had both finished their wine and continued to sit there.

"Would you like more wine?," Chloe asked Trish.

"No, thank you," Trish said. "One is enough for me."

Trish looks at her phone and sees that 15 minutes have passed since she called Beca.

"We only need to wait-"

Loud knocking cuts her off.

"There's Beca," Trish says sliding off the stool and going to the door.

Chloe reluctantly follows. Trish opens the door to find Beca bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"What did you do run over here," Trish says with a laugh.

"Not," pant, pant "funny," Beca manages to get out.

Trish opens the door wider waving Beca in. Beca comes in and sees Chloe standing there. Beca looks back to Trish.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?," Beca asks.

"No," Trish said. "The only one talking will be me. Now let's sit down and get comfortable."

Trish walks over to the sofa and sits down. She looks at the other two girls still standing by the door.

"Sit," Trish says to both girls.

Chloe and Beca look at each other and walk over to where Trish is sitting. Beca sits next to Trish on the sofa and Chloe sits in the chair to the left of her.

"Okay," Trish says. "Chloe, I know that you still love Beca and I knew that Beca still loves you."

Chloe starts to say something and Trish just puts up a hand to stop her.

"It's fine," Trish said. "Beca told me about your relationship and about why you weren't together. It's funny actually. You two have more in common that you realize."

Chloe sat with her elbows on her knees and her hands clasped in front of her. She was looking down at the ground while Trish spoke.

"Beca and I are only engaged to appease my father," Trish continued.

At this, Chloe looked up. Trish was looking at her and Beca sat with her head in her hands.

"About a month after I met Beca, my father came to my condo one morning and found us in bed together," Trish continued. "Nothing happened between us. We just fell asleep while watching TV in my room. My father started yelling at Beca for taking advantage of me. Saying I wasn't even gay and that she must have seduced me. Beca was just using me to get to him and my money. He threatened to fire her and get her blackballed from every recording studio she could think of trying to work at. Beca and I tried to tell him that nothing happened but he wouldn't listen. Hell, we weren't even dating. When I said Beca and I started hanging out, we really were just hanging out. We were, and are, friends and nothing more."

"I'm going to get something to drink," Beca said and got up.

"My father finally stormed out," Trish said. "Yelling that Beca had better make an honest woman of me or else. Beca was beside herself. I told her not to worry. That I would get my dad to listen to me and she'd be fine. Before I continue, I need to give you a little background on me. I turned 21 just before I met Beca. My grandparents on my mother's side left me a sizable trust fund that I could not touch until I was 25 or married. Whichever came first. My father has been trying to figure out a way to get his hands on my trust for a while now."

"Aren't you worried he might do something to you to get it?," Chloe asked.

"No," Trish said. "As much of an asshole he is, he does love me. He would never do anything to hurt me."

Beca came back and handed the two girls a bottle of water.

"Thanks," Chloe said.

Trish took hers and placed it on the table in front of her.

"Anyway," Trish said. "A year ago my father tried to get me to date this guy hoping I'd marry him and he and my dad could then control my trust fund. That didn't work. Beca and I managed to keep our friendship by telling my father we were dating even though we weren't. He had us followed so we pretended to be a real couple. The paparazzi caught us holding hands coming out of a restaurant and then it was all over social media that we were dating. Neither one of us really cared what people thought so we just kept hanging out like usual. Then a little over a month ago I went to the doctor's because I hadn't been feeling well for a while. Beca actually convinced me it was past time to get checked out. The results showed that, um-"

"She has brain cancer," Beca said quietly.

Chloe looked up and saw a tear run down Trish's face. She reached out a hand and grabbed a hold of Trish's and gave it a squeeze. She left her hand there.

"It's stage 4," Beca continued. "They said at this stage even with treatment she probably only had 9 months to a year."

Chloe wiped at the tears that had fallen down her own cheek.

"My father," Trish said swallowing the lump in her throat. "My father is my only surviving relative. I told Beca that I did not want my father to get my trust fund. I asked her to marry me to stop my father from getting his hands on the money."

"I didn't want to do it," Beca said. "Not at first anyway. Then she kept telling me it was the only way for her money to go where she wanted it to go. So, I agreed. But only on the condition that she file a formal will that designated where her money would go when she, um, died."

"The will is in place," Trish said. "My lawyers assure me it is un-contestable."

Trish looks at Beca.

"I know you're going to be mad," Trish tells Beca. "But, since I'm spilling truth, I am leaving something for you."

"No," Beca said jumping up. "That's not what we agreed to."

"Beca," Trish said quietly. "I'm leaving you enough to be able to open up your own recording studio."

Chloe's eyes widened at this. It would cost a lot to open a recording studio. No wonder Trish didn't want her trust fund to go to her father. It has to be worth tens of millions of dollars.

"No, no, no," Beca said. "I won't take it. I'll give the money away."

"You can't do that, Beca," Trish said getting angry now. "You said to make sure that I was very specific on where I wanted my money to go. Money for you to open your own studio, is exactly where I want MY money to go. Plus, if you don't follow my wishes, there will be a fight in the courts. If the will is tied up in probate then none of the charities will get the money. Do you really want that?"

Beca opened her mouth as if to say something. But decided against it and just shook her head.

"I didn't think so," Trish said and Beca sat down.

"I'm so sorry you're going through all this," Chloe says. "I know it's not much, but I'll be your maid of honor if you'll still have me."

"Thank you," Trish says jumping up and pulling Chloe into a hug. "I really don't want to have to go through with the wedding, but my lawyers said that the trust fund will go to my father if I die before I turn 25, despite what my will says. The only way it would not go to him is if I were married. Then my spouse would have control of the trust and could ensure that my final wishes were carried out."

"Chloe," Beca said. "I'm sorry I didn't want to involve you in all this, but Trish got a call from her doctor today."

"Before we can continue I need to call Aubrey," Trish said.

"What? Why?," Chloe asked.

"You'll see," Trish said as she pulled out her phone.

She dialed Aubrey's number and it was answered on the third ring.

"Trish?," Aubrey asked.

"Hey, Aubrey," Trish said. "You're on speaker and I have Chloe and Beca here."

"Oo-kay," Aubrey said.

"We just filled Chloe in on everything," Trish said. "We're at a point where we need to talk to both of you together."

"Chloe?," Aubrey says. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe tells her.

"I didn't want to tell Chloe," Beca said, "but certain events have, um, overruled me."

"What events?," Aubrey asked.

"I'm just getting to that," Trish said. "Okay, so, I got some test results from my doctor today. The cancer is spreading faster than they thought. I only have about 4-5 months left. Maybe less."

Chloe and Aubrey both gasp.

"Yeah," Trish said. "Beca and I talked and we want to fly to Vegas this weekend and get married."

Chloe looked at Beca and Trish. They heard a heavy sigh come through the line from Aubrey.

"Trish," Aubrey said. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes," Trish said. "It will take about 4 weeks for the trust fund to be turned over to me once I show the Trustee the Marriage Certificate. Waiting is not a luxury I have at this point."

"Aubrey, Chloe," Beca said. "Since you've both agreed to be our maids of honor, we want you to go with us as witnesses."

"Wait," Aubrey says. "Chloe agreed to be Trish's maid of honor?"

"Yeah, Brey," Chloe said.

"We can fly out tomorrow night," Trish says. "Or first thing Saturday morning if that's better for you two."

"Please say yes," Beca says.

"I'll do it," Chloe says without hesitation. "I can fly out whenever you want."

"Looks like I'm in as well," Aubrey said.

"I'll make all the arrangements," Beca said. "I'll send you confirmations once I have them."

Beca gets up and pulls out her phone. She leaves the living room and heads to the den to arrange everything.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Chloe says to herself not realizing it was loud enough for Trish to hear.

"I want to say this to you two since Beca's not here," Trish said. "Chloe, I know that Beca loves you and I know you love her too. I also know that neither one of you would do anything while Beca is married to me. I want you to promise. I want you both to promise that you'll be there for her when the time comes. I love her and she loves me, but not the way two people getting married should love each other. She is a kind hearted person and I know it will be hard on her. Just be there for her. And, Chloe. Make sure you hold onto her. She really is someone truly special."

Chloe is wiping tears from her eyes. She hears a sniffle come through the speaker on Trish's phone.

"I promise," Aubrey says.

"I promise, too," Chloe says through her tears.

"Good," Trish says. "Thank you both."

"Is there anything special you want us to wear?," Chloe asked changing the subject.

"Something blue," Aubrey says. "A light shade like your eyes. Not too short. Maybe something that hits the top of your knees."

"She knows everything about what I wanted for the wedding," Trish says with a smile.

"Okay," Chloe says with a laugh. "I have just the dress. Anything else I should know, Aubrey?"

"No," Aubrey says. "We'll just to have to wing it with everything else."

"Oh, my God," Chloe says laughing. "The Aubrey Posen just winging it! I am so glad I have a front row seat to this."

"Shut up," Aubrey says causing all three girls to laugh.

Beca walks back in.

"Good, Aubrey's still on the phone," Beca said. "Hey, Brey, I got you on a flight out of Chicago for tomorrow night. There will be a car waiting to take you to the hotel. I also rented a plane to fly us from LA to Vegas. We should arrive a couple of hours before you so we'll see you at the hotel. Just let one of us know when you're on the way to the hotel. My travel agent will be sending you the flight and hotel information shortly."

"Got it," Aubrey said. "I'm going to go so I can get home and pack. I'll just plan to leave from work tomorrow night. When will we be coming back?"

"Sunday," Beca said. "I know you and Chloe both have to work on Monday so it won't be too late."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "See you ladies in Vegas tomorrow night."

"Bye, Brey," Chloe says.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Trish said. "I'll be right back."

Trish leaves the room and Beca and Chloe look at each other.

"So," Chloe says. "You couldn't tell me about all this? We're supposed to be friends."

"I know," Beca said. "And, I feel horrible saying this, but this can't go beyond the four of us. If her father finds out about any of this, he'll come after us with everything he's got. I don't care about me, but Trish isn't strong enough to fight that fight. The fewer people that know, the better."

"I promise," Chloe said. "No one will hear about this from me. Now that I know what's really going on, I'll support you and Trish one hundred percent. If there's anything I can do to help either one of you, just ask."

"Is it weird if I ask you to wait for me?," Beca said.

After a few seconds, Beca's eyes widened. "Oh, God!," she said. "That sounds so bad. I'm asking you to wait around until my wife dies so we can be together. That's just wrong. I'm sorry."

"It does sound bad when you put it that way," Chloe said. "But, I've waited 5 years to have a chance to be with you again. I'll wait 5 more if need be."


	8. Chapter 8

Chloe was tired. She was awake most of the night thinking about what had transpired the day before. Knowing that Beca was marrying Trish to protect her from her dad just made the redhead love Beca more. She had promised to wait for Beca. She got sick thinking that Trish would have to die for that happen. Chloe liked Trish. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help it. She felt a kinship toward the younger woman. They both had father issues, they both grew up rich and not knowing who their real friends, and they both loved Beca, each in their own way.

"God," Chloe says. "What was I thinking to agree to this?"

Chloe gets out of bed and gets ready for her day. Her driver takes her to her office. She arrives early so she can get ready for the interviews Karen scheduled for today. Chloe looks through the resumes of the applicants so she has an idea of what experience they have. At 9:00 she hears someone knock on the door.

"On time," Chloe thinks. "Good start."

"Come in," Chloe calls out.

The door opens and a woman who looked to be in her late 30's stepped in.

"Miss Beale?," the woman asks and Chloe nods. "I'm Dana Owens. I'm here for the interview."

"Please come in," Chloe says rising to meet the woman.

"Please have a seat," Chloe tells the woman.

Dana sits down and Chloe sits as well. The woman pulls out some papers and hands them to Chloe.

"This is my resume," Dana says. "There is also a list of references."

Dana sits back as Chloe takes the papers and scans them. Chloe asks a few questions and makes a few notes on the woman's resume. Thirty minutes later Chloe had concluded the interview and was showing Dana out.

"Thank you for coming in, Dana," Chloe sid. "I have several more interviews and hope to have a decision made by end of next week. You'll be notified one way or another."

"Thank you, Miss Beale," Dana said shaking Chloe's hand.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same way. Chloe had to shake her head at some of the people she interviewed. Karen was right, everybody looked good on paper. But, in reality, they were not so good. She did like two of the candidates and pulled their files out of the pile and put them to the side.

It was 4:30 when Chloe had her driver take her to the condo. The plane was scheduled to leave at 6:30 pm and she still had a few things left to pack before she was picked up at 5:30. She pulled out the blue dress she would wear to Beca and Trish's wedding and started packing.

Chloe was packed and ready to go when she got a text from Trish. They were on their way to pick her up and would be there in10 minutes. Chloe made one last check to make sure she had everything and grabbed her bag and went downstairs to wait. The car arrived about 5 minutes later and the driver took her luggage and placed it in the back. He opened the door for Chloe and she got in.

Trish pulled Chloe in for a hug as soon as she was in the car.

"Hey, Chloe," Trish says.

"Hey, Trish," Chloe says back.

"I'm so glad you're coming with us," Trish said.

Chloe pulled out of the hug and sat in her seat. She gave Beca a small smile.

"I hope you're ready for tonight," Trish said.

"Tonight?," Chloe asked.

"My bachelorette party," Trish said. "You and I are going out and get stinking drunk while Aubrey and this one do their thing."

"Um," Chloe said. "Can you drink with all your meds?"

"No," Beca said.

"Doesn't matter," Trish says.

"She won't listen to me," Beca says.

"Trish," Chloe says. "Maybe we shouldn't worry about the drinking. Let's just go have a really nice dinner and see a show."

"It's my last night being single," Trish says. "And I want to get drunk. So, you're either with me, or against me. Which is it?"

Chloe looks at the determined look Trish has on her face. She looks at Beca who just frowns and shrugs.

"How about we compromise," Chloe said. "How about we have a late dinner and you can have 2 glasses of wine. I have a feeling with your meds, 2 glasses will be more than enough for you."

"Can we still see a show?," Trish asked.

"If that's what you want," Chloe said.

"Okay, then," Trish says holding out her hand to Chloe. "Deal!"

Chloe laughs and shakes Trish's hand. "Deal!"

"Thank you," Beca says to Chloe. "I can see now why you're such a successful businesswoman."

Chloe smiled and said, "Business is almost always about compromise."

They arrive at the airport and the car takes them directly to the hangar.

"Didn't want the paps to catch us," Beca explains when Chloe asks why. "We want to break the wedding news ourselves and in our own way."

"Makes sense," Chloe says.

They board the plane and their luggage is brought on board. The girls all settle in their seats and the plane starts up. They taxi out to the runway and are off in no time.

"You know what me not drinking means, don't you?," Trish asks looking at Beca.

"No," Beca says. "What does it mean?"

"You can't get drunk either," Trish says and laughs.

"What? No, I, that's, ugh" Beca stammers. "Fine. I will limit myself to 2 drinks as well."

"Since no one is getting drunk," Chloe said. "Are we going to stay together for dinner and the show?"

"No," Trish says quickly and with conviction.

"Why not?," Beca asked.

"Because I want to see the Chippendales," Trish said. "And you don't."

"Yeah, no," Beca said. "I'm out. Seeing men strip is not on my bucket list. Now, if we were going to watch women strip, I'm totally there."

"You are so gay," Trish says with a laugh. "And, I'm so not, so I want to see some men take it off."

Beca rolls her eyes and goes to the back to lay down. She figured she wasn't going to get much sleep in Vegas so she'd take advantage while she could.

"Did you just say you weren't gay?," Chloe says confused.

"Yep," Trish says. "When my dad caught me with Beca, I told him I was gay just to get him to stop setting me up with all those loser guys he liked so much."

"But what if you found a guy you really liked?," Chloe asked.

"Then I'd just tell him I was bi," Trish responded. "He'd be pissed no matter who I dated if it wasn't someone he chose for me."

"So, you and Beca never. . .?," Chloe asked.

"Nope," Trish said. "We really are just friends and haven't done anything more than kiss. And that was just for show whenever the paparazzi were around. Or we needed to convince someone, like my dad, we were for real."

"Wow," is all Chloe could say.

"You think I'm crazy," Trish said. "Telling my dad I'm gay when I'm not. Marrying Beca instead of a guy."

"I don't think you're crazy," Chloe said. "I get why you told him you were gay. I'm still a little unclear on why Beca, but I'm sure you have your reasons."

"I do," Trish said. "Beca has been nothing but a true friend to me. I can't think of anyone I would trust to honor my wishes, and not take advantage of me, than Beca."

"I get that," Chloe said.

And she did. She knew that Beca would move heaven and earth to help out a friend. Chloe couldn't help this nagging feeling that something bad was coming though. She shook herself to get rid of the thought.

"How did you tell your dad you were gay?," Trish asked.

"I haven't," Chloe told her. "I married a guy he chose for me even though I was in love with Beca. He never knew about her, except that she was one of my best friends. When she broke up with me becuase of Ray, there was never really a need for my father to know I was gay."

"When did you know you were gay?," Trish asked.

"When I was about fourteen," Chloe said. "I had a mad crush on my best friend, Tracy. I thought it was because we were so close, but then I started having thoughts about kissing her and stuff. I didn't really know what gay was then. I never did anything about my feelings because they were so new to me. When I was sixteen, I had sex with a boy. Hated it. Then a few weeks later, I was at a party and we played spin the bottle. I had to kiss this girl named Pat. She was a year older and a great kisser. She must have thought I was, too. Later, after the game was over, she found me and lead me into a bathroom where we had sex. It was mind blowing and eye opening. I knew then, without a doubt, that I only wanted to be with girls."

"Have you been in a relationship since Beca?," Trish asked.

"No," Chloe said. "Don't get me wrong, I had a few opportunities. It's just that, and I know this is going to sound weird, but every time I came close, I couldn't go through with it. I felt guilty because I felt like I was cheating on Beca since I knew I was still in love with her. Silly, huh?"

"No, it's not silly," Trish said. "I totally get it. I just wish I could have had known kind of love."

They sat in a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. They both jumped when the speakers in the cabin came to life.

"Ladies," the captain says over the speaker. "We will be descending into Las Vegas in 10 minutes. Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts."

"I'd better wake Beca," Trish said.

Trish came back with Beca right behind her. They took their seats and fastened their seatbelts as instructed. The plane landed and taxied into a hangar where a car was waiting for them. The girls got in and were driven to the Bellagio. Beca checked them in and gave Chloe two room keys.

"You and Aubrey will be sharing a suite that's right next to door us," Beca told her.

Their luggage was placed on a cart and they were shown to their suites. The suite consisted of two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, as well as the main living room. Chloe chose a room and unpacked everything and put her things away. She put her toiletries in her bathroom and went to the main room and laid on the sofa. There was knock on the door and she opened it to find Trish and Beca standing there.

"Aubrey should be here in about 30 minutes," Beca said. "We thought we could hang out and talk about tomorrow."

Chloe ushered the two in and they sat down.

"I got us tickets to the Chippendales show for tonight," Trish told Chloe. "It wasn't easy but then I had Beca get on the phone and use her star power to get them."

Beca just smirked and said, "I can't believe I actually used my name to get tickets to a male strip show."

"I can't believe I actually got talked into going to a male strip show," Chloe said with a laugh.

"We have an appointment at a little wedding chapel off the strip at 2:00 pm tomorrow," Beca tells Chloe. "We thought we could do lunch here in the hotel. I have a car picking us up at 1:30 to take us to the chapel. We opted for the traditional ceremony so it shouldn't last more than 20 minutes. After we can visit the casinos, or hang out in the hotel, until our dinner reservations. I also go us tickets to see, are you ready for this? The Backstreet Boys. Four seats in the front row."

"Shut up," Chloe says. "Are you serious? I love them."

"I know," Beca said. "So does Aubrey. It's my way, our way, of saying thanks for being here for us."

"You know we'd do anything for you, Becs," Chloe says quietly.

Beca smiles at Chloe's use of her nickname. She missed it. They sit quietly for a few minutes.

Trish stood by the windows not wanting to interrupt the moment that Beca and Chloe was sharing.

"Have you seen this view?," she asks Chloe breaking the silence. "It's amazing."

Chloe and Beca both get up and walk over to Trish. They look out over Las Vegas. It is really amazing to see so much of Las Vegas laid out before them.

"I can't believe we're going to see The Backstreet Boys," Chloe says with a smile. "I can't wait until Aubrey finds out. She is going to flip her shit!"

Trish and Beca laugh. Beca's phone pings with a text.

 _Aubrey: I'm in the lobby._

 _Beca: I'll be right down._

Beca tells them Aubrey is in the lobby and she is going down to bring her up. Beca leaves and Chloe tells Trish she's going to change into something a little more comfortable since she was still wearing her work clothes.

Trish was wearing dark blue skinny jeans and a pink button down shirt. Chloe chose to change into her black skinny jeans and light blue pullover shirt. She pulled her leather jacket out of the closet to have since nights were sometimes a little cool. She left her bedroom when she heard Aubrey squeal.

"I guess you told her?," Chloe says with a laugh.

"Oh, my God," Aubrey squealed. "We're going to see The Backstreet Boys!"

"I know," Chloe squealed, grabbing Aubrey's hand and jumping up and down.

"Okay, fangirls," Beca said. "Let's get these bachelorette parties on the road."

"We only have a little over an hour before our show," Trish said. "Where can we eat so we aren't late?"

"Maybe we can grab something quick and light downstairs," Chloe suggested.

"Sounds good," Trish said. "And, where are you two off to?"

"It's Beca's night," Aubrey said. "So, we'll go wherever she wants to go."

"Hard Rock Cafe?," Beca asks.

"Hard Rock Cafe," Aubrey says. "Let's go."

The four girls leave the suite and separate once they get to the lobby. Trish and Chloe manage to grab something fast and easy and make it to the show on time. Chloe didn't order any wine so neither did Trish. Trish had a blast at the show. Chloe took videos of her being taken up to the stage and the dancers giving her lap dance. Chloe had to admit that she actually had a pretty good time as well. It was almost 1:00 am when the show was over. Trish was really tired so the girls went back to the hotel.

Aubrey and Beca weren't back yet so Chloe changed into her pajamas and stayed with Trish in her suite. Trish went to her room and fell asleep. Chloe made sure she was okay and laid down on the couch where she fell asleep.

The next morning Chloe woke up at 6:00 am. Her body was just used to it. She looked around to get her bearings and stretched. She got up and checked on Trish and she was still asleep. She decided to check on Beca and quietly opened the door to her room. Beca was fully clothed and stretched out on the bed with arms and legs spread out looking like a starfish. Chloe chuckled because she knew this meant that Beca got drunk last night. She softly closed the door and left the suite. She let herself into her and Aubrey's suite and went to check on Aubrey. She smiled when she saw that Aubrey was in the exact same position that Beca was. Trish wasn't going to be too happy with either of them for getting drunk.

Chloe decided to lay in her bed and try to get a little more sleep. It was about three hours later when she heard banging. She jumped out of bed and ran into the main room. Someone was banging on the door. She rushed over to answer it and found Trish and an obviously hungover Beca. Chloe bit her lip to keep the smile from her face as Trish winked at her.

"Where's Aubrey?," Trish yelled storming into the suite.

"Still in bed," Chloe said pointing to her door.

Trish stormed over to the door and flung it open.

"Get you drunk ass up, Aubrey!," Trish yelled.

"Can you please make her stop yelling," Beca croaks out to Chloe.

"Nope," Chloe said and laughed. "You promised only 2 drinks and no getting drunk."

"I know I promised," Beca said. "But Aubrey didn't. She can be very pers-, pres-, um, she's pretty good at talking me into stuff."

"So this is Aubrey's fault?," Chloe asks.

"Not my fault," a gravelly voice says.

"Aubrey, you being drunk is not ideal," Trish says loudly. "But, you promised, Beca. You said you wouldn't get drunk."

"I'm sorry?," Beca says.

"Are you asking me or telling me," Trish says looking at Beca.

"I can't think straight," Beca says, face planting onto the couch.

"And what do you have to say for yourself?," Trish asks turning to Aubrey.

"She could have declined the drinks," Aubrey says.

"Way to throw me under the bus, dude," comes the muffled reply from the couch.

"I need to sit down," Aubrey and sits in the chair closing her eyes.

"Both of you, get the fuck up!," Trish yells.

Aubrey and Beca both jump up. Beca is swaying slightly and Aubrey looks like she is about to throw up.

"What the hell, Trish?," Beca grumbles.

Trish is standing there with a smile on her face. She turns to Chloe, who is quietly laughing at the entire scene.

"Think they've had enough?," Trish asks her.

"I don't know," Chloe responds.

Aubrey suddenly puts her hand to her mouth and runs into her bathroom. They can hear her retching and vomiting. This causes Beca to run into Chloe's bathroom and they hear Beca vomiting.

"Yep," Chloe laughs. "I think they've had enough."

She and Trish are both laughing and sit down on the couch to wait for Beca and Aubrey. Aubrey emerges first with Beca coming out about a minute later.

"Oh God," Aubrey said. "I think I threw up a lung."

"Yeah?," Beca said. "I think I threw up my lunch from three days ago."

Trish and Chloe are laughing so hard that tears are running down their cheeks.

"This is so not funny, Beale," Aubrey said.

"Oh, but it so is," Chloe says between laughs.

"Who's ready for brunch?," Trish says with a smirk and a laugh.

"Oh, God!," Beca says and runs into Chloe's bathroom again.

Aubrey seems to be fine until she can hear Beca throwing up.

"Close the fucking door," Aubrey says before sprinting into her bathroom.

Chloe and Trish wait a few minutes until it seems like the two girls are done.

"You get Beca and go back to your suite and get ready," Chloe tells Trish. "I'll take care of Brey."

Trish does as Chloe says and finds Beca laying down with her head against the cold tile of the floor.

"Let's go get you cleaned up and dressed," Trish tells Beca as she helps her up. "We have a wedding to get to."

Beca let's Trish lead her back to their suite. Beca sits on the side of the bed while Trish lays out her wedding outfit for her.

"Get in the shower and then get dressed," Trish tells her. "I'll meet you in the living room in 30 minutes. Okay?"

"Okay," Beca mumbles and stands up.

Chloe manages to get Aubrey up and into the shower. She tells Aubrey to meet her in the living room once she's dressed. Chloe jumps in her shower and gets ready. She is putting on the finishing touches of her makeup when she hears Aubrey call out to her. She checks her face and goes out to Aubrey. Aubrey is dressed and wearing dark sunglasses. Chloe bites back a smile and hands Aubrey some pain killers and a bottle of water. Aubrey throws back the pills with the water.

"Ready?," Chloe asks.

"Yeah," Aubrey says.

"Come on then," Chloe says.

She leads Aubrey to Beca and Trish's suite and knocks on the door. Trish answers wearing a white dress that hits at the knees. It is sleeveless and has a lace bodice.

"Wow," Chloe says. "You look amazing Trish."

"Thanks," Trish says. "You don't look so bad yourself. Come on in. Beca's almost ready."

Chloe pushes Aubrey into the suite and enters behind her. Beca comes out of her room and is also wearing dark sunglasses. She stops and pops a couple of painkillers followed by a large swig of water. She and Trish are wearing the same dress and she looks amazing as well.

"You clean up nice, Mitchell," Chloe says with a small smile.

Beca looks at Chloe over the top of her sunglass, and her breath hitches. The blue of Chloe's dress makes her eyes pop and shows off all her curves. Beca clears her throat.

"You're not so bad looking yourself, Beale," Beca says her voice cracking slightly.

Trish smiles and looks at the other three women.

"We are four hot looking babes," Trish says.

"Yes, we are," Chloe says.

Beca and Aubrey grumble something.

"Suck it up, you two," Trish says. "We're going to brunch and then we have a wedding to get to."

Trish and Chloe lead the way to the elevator to get downstairs for brunch. They sit at their table and Beca and Aubrey both are holding their head in their hands.

"Come on, Beca," Trish says standing up. "It's a buffet. Let's get you something greasy to help with the hangover."

"You know that doesn't really help a hangover, right?," Beca asked.

"Don't sass me, woman," Trish says with a laugh.

"Yes, dear," Beca replies with a smirk.


	9. Chapter 9

Brunch was done and the girls were sitting at the table drinking coffee. Beca and Aubrey were doing much better than when they first sat down. Beca's phone pinged and she checked her message.

"The car's here," she told the group.

The girls went outside and found a limo waiting for them. When they got in they found a tray with four champagne glasses and a bucket with champagne congratulating Beca and Trish.

"Hey, Chloe," Trish said. "Looks like you're going to have champagne headache tomorrow."

"Why me?," Chloe asked.

"Well," Trish said. "I can't drink and these two looked like they were going puke as soon as they saw the bottle."

Chloe and Trish both laugh. Beca and Aubrey just glare at the two.

The car pulls up to the chapel where the ceremony is taking place and all four girls get out. Aubrey and Beca head into the chapel to check in for their appointment. Trish pulls Chloe back and waits until Aubrey and Beca have entered the building.

"Are you okay?," Chloe asks Trish, concern etched on her face.

"Yeah," Trish says. "I've just got a headache."

"How severe is it?," Chloe asks. "How long have you had it?"

"Chloe, it's okay," Trish said. "It's not bad. I just need a pain reliever and it will be fine."

"I think we should take you to the hospital," Chloe says. "I'll get Beca and Aubrey."

"No," Trish said. "The doctor said I would get headaches. If it doesn't respond to the pain reliever or worsens, then I'll go to the hospital. Do you have any Tylenol or anything on you?"

Chloe looks in her purse and pulls out a bottle of Tylenol. She opens the door to the limo and climbs in. She finds a bottle of water and gets out and gives everything to Trish. Trish takes the Tylenol and thanks Chloe.

"Okay," Trish says. "Let's go get me married."

Chloe follows quickly behind Trish and enters the building. Beca and Aubrey make their way over to them.

"We have about a 10 minute wait," Beca tells them. "We can sit over there and wait until we're called."

Trish and Beca walk over and sit on the benches along the wall. Aubrey grabs Chloe's arm and holds her back.

"What's wrong?," Aubrey asked.

"What?," Chloe asks.

"What happened outside?," Aubrey asked. "Before you and Trish came in. And don't lie to me, Chloe. I can tell by your face that something's wrong, so spill."

"Trish has a headache," Chloe tells her. "She wanted some Tylenol so I gave her some. I thought we should take her to the hospital. She said no because her doctor told her to expect them. As long as the pain reliever works and it doesn't get any worse, she'll be okay."

"We'll keep an eye on her," Aubrey said. "I don't think we should worry Beca though."

"I agree," Chloe said. "Wait. What's with that look? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," Aubrey said looking at the ground.

"You're lying," Chloe said. "I know because you won't look me in the eye. What's going on?"

"Beca's worried about Trish's dad," Aubrey said. "She's mostly worried about what he'll do once he finds out about the wedding."

"They only have to keep it a secret until the paperwork clears transferring control of her trust fund to Trish," Chloe said. "Right?"

"Right," Aubrey said. "But it could take 4 weeks for that to happen. Beca works for Mr. Compton and sees him just about every day. She's worried she'll blurt it out to him."

"Rebeca Mitchell and Patricia Compton," a voice calls out.

"That's us," Beca says standing.

Aubrey and Chloe hurry over to the couple and they walk into the chapel. The officiant tells Trish and Beca where to stand. Aubrey and Chloe take their places as well.

The officiant begins the traditional ceremony. Trish and Chloe cried. Fifteen minutes after he started, the officiant pronounced Trish and Beca married. They signed the marriage certificate, then Aubrey and Chloe signed as witnesses. Chloe hesitated only slightly before signing her name. It's official. Rebeca Mitchell and Patricia Compton are now Rebeca and Patricia Mitchell.

The girls get in the limo and discuss what they are going to do next. Aubrey and Beca wanted to try their hand at gambling. Trish just wanted to go back to the hotel and rest until dinner. Beca said she'd go back with her, but Trish told her it wasn't necessary. Chloe said she'd go with Trish because she had a bit of a headache and wanted to rest as well.

It was decided that they would all go back to the Bellagio. Aubrey and Beca could try their luck in the casino there while Trish and Chloe rested.

"How's the headache?," Chloe asks Trish on the elevator up to their rooms.

"It's actually much better," Trish said. "How's yours."

"Not bad," Chloe said. "I think it's just everything that's happened in the past 48 hours has gotten to me."

"I guess watching the woman you love marrying someone else didn't help much," Trish said.

"Actually," Chloe said. "I've been treating this like any other business deal I've been involved in so my emotions don't get the better of me."

"And that works for you?," Trish asked.

"Are you trying to make me upset?," Chloe asks with a grin.

"No, nothing like that," Trish says. "I just don't know how I would handle it. You'be been so good about it all. Hell, you agreed to be my maid of honor. You are a really good person."

"No, I'm not," Chloe said. "If I were, I would have told my father off years ago and stayed with Beca. Even to this day my father doesn't know about my relationship with Beca or that I'm gay. I hurt Beca and lost most of my friends, because of my own cowardice. That doesn't say good person to me."

"What's past is past," Trish said. "Beca has forgiven you. Aubrey and your Bella friends have forgiven you. Don't you think it's time you forgave yourself?"

Chloe didn't say anything more. She just thought about what Trish just said.

"I really am going to lay down for awhile," Trish said. "It's going to be another late night."

"I'll be out here if you need me," Chloe said.

"Thanks," Trish said and went into her bedroom.

Chloe tried to get comfortable but her dress was making it impossible. She got up and checked on Trish, who was sleeping soundly. She debated on going back to her suite and changing into something more comfortable but decided she didn't want to leave Trish alone. She went into Beca's room and found some sleep shorts and one of Beca's band tees and changed her clothes. She hung her dress over the chair and laid down on the sofa and fell asleep.

It was a couple of hours later when Chloe woke up to the closing of the door. She stretched and sat up. She looked up to find Beca staring at her.

"What's wrong?," Chloe asked. "Lose your shirt?"

"No," Beca says with a smirk. "I know exactly where it is."

Beca kept looking at Chloe and smiled. Chloe had a confused look on her face, so Beca pointed to the shirt Chloe was wearing.

"Oh," Chloe say suddenly realizing what Beca as talking about. "I didn't want to leave Trish alone so I borrowed something of yours. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind," Beca said. "It actually brought back some nice memories. You used to always steal my shirts."

Chloe smiled and got up.

"I'm going to go get changed for tonight," Chloe said. "I'll bring your clothes back when we meet up for dinner."

"Keep 'em," Beca said. "They look better on you."

"Damn, Beale," Trish says coming out of her room. "Should I be worried about you parading around my wife looking all hot and sexy?"

"No," Chloe stammered. "I was, it, um."

"Easy there, Chloe," Trish said. "I was just messing with you."

Chloe let out a small laugh and looked at Beca. Beca just smile sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm just going to go change," Chloe said as she headed for the door. "Can we wear jeans or should we dress up."

"We're planning on wearing jeans," Trish said. "Dinner's going to be pretty low key and we want to be comfortable for the concert."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll see you in about an hour."

Chloe leaves and goes over to her suite. Aubrey comes out of her room when she hears Chloe enter.

"Wow, Chloe," Aubrey says. "This brings back memories from our Barden days. You coming into our room wearing Beca's clothes. Only it was usually early in the morning and you were trying to sneak in."

"Shut up," Chloe says with a grin. "I'm going to get ready for tonight. Beca and Trish said jeans were okay for tonight."

"Thanks," Aubrey said. "Hey, I was thinking that maybe we could pay for dinner since it is their wedding night."

"That's a good idea," Chloe said. "I'm in."

Chloe enters her bedroom and looks for an outfit for the night. She finally settles on her light blue skinny jeans and a dark blue tank with a white button down over it, tied at the waist. She puts her hair up in a bun and jumps in the shower. After getting out of the shower, she lets her hair down so it falls in waves over her shoulders. She gets dressed, does her makeup, throws on her black ankle boots, and goes out to the living room.

Aubrey is sitting on the sofa going through some emails on her laptop.

"I just got a text from Beca saying they were ready when we were," Aubrey told Chloe.

"I'm ready," Chloe said. "Let's go."

Aubrey and Chloe knock on the door to Beca and Trish's suite. Trish opens it and ushers them in.

"Beca had a call from my dad she had to take," Trish said.

"Is that a good idea?," Aubrey asks. "Beca has a tendency to blurt stuff out when she's trying to hide something."

"I think she'll be fine," Trish said. "He had a question about whatever album she's working on now - Pink, or Selena Gomez. I don't remember which."

The door to Beca's bedroom opens and the three girls look toward it. Beca comes out holding her phone and looking nervous.

"I may or may now have just told you father that I got married in Vegas," Beca says.

Chloe and Aubrey's eyes widen. They look to Trish to see how she was going to react.

"What exactly did you say?," Trish asks.

"He asked me where I was," Beca said. "And I told him I was in Vegas. He laughed and said 'you and Trish had better not have eloped.' And I said, 'whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas', thinking he would laugh. He didn't. He just got quiet and then said he had to go and hung up."

Just then Trish's phone rings. She looks at the screen and closes her eyes.

"It's my father," Trish says.

"I'm sorry," Beca said. "He just, and I just. It was like he already knew."

"It's okay," Trish said. "I'm going to ignore his call. I'll call him back in the morning. Or when we get back to LA. I don't know."

Beca just stood there with a deer in the headlights look. She didn't know what to do. Aubrey and Chloe continued to stand where they were, not saying a word.

"I'm leaving my phone here," Trish said. "That way I can ignore his calls and he won't disturb our wedding night."

"I am sorry, Trish," Beca said.

"Let's go," Trish said. "I'm hungry and we have show to get to."

Trish turned and headed for the door. Beca walking slowly behind her looking like someone had just kicked her puppy. Aubrey and Chloe followed quietly behind.

They were picked up by a limo again and taken to Planet Hollywood where they were going to have dinner and then see the show at the Axis Planet Hollywood. Beca continued to apologize to Trish throughout dinner. Aubrey and Chloe looked at each other.

"Surprise birthday party," Chloe whispered to Aubrey.

The two girls started laughing. Beca looked at them with a furrowed brow.

"What the hell, you guys?," Beca asks looking upset.

"I'm sorry, Becs," Chloe tells her. "This reminds me of the time the Bellas tried to throw me a surprise birthday party. All you had to do was get me to the Auditorium. You got so flustered when I asked you why you were so nervous that you decided breaking up with me was a better option than telling me about the party."

"Yeah," Aubrey continues. "You guys were like an hour late and you wouldn't answer anyone's texts asking where you were. We all decided to go looking for you and found you guys right outside the Auditorium. Chloe was crying her eyes out while you stood there trying to get her to come into the Auditorium."

"I was ready to break up with you for real," Chloe said. "That was just mean."

"I'm no good under pressure," Beca whined.

"Actually," Aubrey said. "You're very good under pressure. You just can't keep a secret to save your life."

"Now you tell me this," Trish says with a laugh.

Chloe and Aubrey laugh along with Trish. Beca just looks at them.

"I so hate all of you right now," Beca says and drops her head on the table.

"It's almost time for the show," Trish says.

Aubrey grabs the check and she and Chloe both pull out money to put toward the bill and tip. Aubrey hands the money and check back to the waiter telling him to keep the change.

"Hey!," Beca said. "I was going to pay for dinner."

"It's our treat," Aubrey said. "In honor of this being your wedding night."

"Thank you," Trish says politely.

"Besides," Aubrey adds. "I'm not the one who lost in the casino today."

"Hey," Bec said. "You weren't supposed to say anything."

"Oops!," Aubrey says putting her hand up to her mouth. "Sorry."

Chloe and Trish laugh at the two. They all get up and head to the concert. Once the Backstreet Boys take the stage, Chloe, Aubrey, and Trish barely sit down. Beca enjoys the show but really enjoys watching the other three having good time.

The show is over and Beca is dawdling for lack of a better word.

"Come on, Beca," Trish says.

"Just a minute, please," Beca tells her.

A young man walks up to the girls.

"Beca Mitchell?," the young man asks.

"That's me," Beca said.

"My name is Doug," the young man told her. "Mr. McLean asked me to escort you backstage. Please put these on and follow me."

He hands Beca four backstage passes. Beca hands one to each of the girls. Aubrey and Chloe stared wide eyed at Beca. The were going backstage to meet the Backstreet Boys.

"You heard the man," Beca said ushering the girls to follow the guy.

Doug led the girls down a hall and stopped at a door. There was a huge guy standing guard outside and when he saw their passes he opened the door and allowed them in. Doug told them to have a seat and the guys would be back in a few minutes and he left.

"Hey," Trish asked. "You guys were like, five, when the Backstreet Boys started out. How did you become such fans."

"Well," Chloe said. "I actually went to their concert when I was 16. My dad set me up with the son of a friend of his and that's where he took me. I liked the music, hated the date. I knew by then I was gay but still had a mad crush on AJ and Nick back then."

Before Aubrey an answer the door opens and in walk the Backstreet Boys.

"Beca!," AJ calls out.

"AJ," Beca yells back.

AJ grabs Beca in a hug and tells her it's great to see her again. Beca introduces AJ to Trish, Chloe and Aubrey. Trish exchanges pleasantries with AJ. Chloe and Aubrey both stand there with their mouths open and then giggle when he tells them it's nice to meet them.

"They're not usually like this," Beca said. He points to Aubrey. "That one's a kickass lawyer and that one," she continues pointing to Chloe, "runs a multi-million dollar company."

"Impressive," AJ says. "Let me introduce you to the other guys."

AJ introduces the other members of the band. Chloe and Aubrey are still fangirling but trying to hide it. When AJ learned that Chloe and Aubrey sang a capella with Beca in college, he said they had to sing something together. Beca tried to get out of it but the pleading looks on Chloe and Aubrey's faces made her cave.

"What's your favorite song of ours?," AJ asked the girls.

"Helpless When She Smiles," Chloe says.

"The One," Aubrey says.

"Good choices," AJ says. "How about 'I Want It That Way'? It was one of our biggest hits."

"Okay," Chloe and Aubrey say.

"Good," Beca says. "It's the only one I actually know the words to."

"I know. That's why I chose it," AJ says and laughs

The guys all gather around and they start the song. AJ points to the girls when he wants them to take the next part. The song ends and the boys are complimenting the girls on how good they sounded. Trish made sure to get the whole thing on video.

It was getting late and the boys had to get to their families. Beca hugged AJ and thanked him for getting her the backstage passes.

"It's the least I could do for the woman who is producing our new album," AJ said.

"What?," Chloe and Aubrey both yell.

"You're producing a new album by the Backstreet Boys?," Chloe asked smacking Beca on her arm. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Ow," Beca said. "Because it's supposed to be a secret."

"Oh, this secret you can keep," Aubrey says sarcastically.

Trish laughs at the exchange between the three friends.

The girls make it back to the hotel. Aubrey and Chloe grilling Beca on what was going to be on the new Backstreet Boys album. Beca kept her lips sealed and provided them nothing. The girls have all settled in their suites. Chloe and Aubrey are too keyed up to sleep so they are sitting in the living area talking.

"Want to see if there are any good movies to watch?," Chloe asks.

"Sounds good," Aubrey says.

Chloe is scrolling through the movies when there is a knock on their door. Aubrey answers to find Beca standing there.

"Could you girls come over to our suite?," Beca asks. "Trish is starting to freak about her dad."

Chloe and Aubrey follow Beca to the other suite. They enter and Trish is pacing back and forth mumbling to herself.

"Hey, Trish," Chloe says. "Why don't we sit down and talk about this?"

Trish stops her pacing and looks at Chloe.

"Okay," Trish says and sits down.

"What are you worrying about?," Chloe asked.

"I'm worried about what my father can do when he finds out we're actually married," Trish said.

"Aubrey," Chloe said. "You're a lawyer. Do you have any suggestions?"

"From what I know," Aubrey said. "There is nothing he can do about your trust fund once you're married. Doesn't matter who you married or where the marriage took place, he can't touch it."

"What about Beca?," Chloe asked. "She works for him. Can he do anything to her?"

"Marrying your boss' daughter without his permission, is not grounds to fire someone," Aubrey said. "If he even hints at it, threaten him with a lawsuit. That will cost him millions."

"What if I want to leave the label?," Beca asked. "Can I take my client list with me?"

"I can't answer that," Aubrey said. "You should check with your lawyers on that one."

"What should I tell him about the wedding?," Trish asked.

"I'd tell him as much of the truth as possible," Aubrey said. "Tell him that you love Beca and couldn't wait to marry her. You heard she was taking a trip to Vegas with me and Chloe and you suggested getting married here and Beca agreed since her two best friends were here."

"That sounds good," Beca said. "It's not a total lie and I probably won't screw it up."

Trish doesn't look convinced.

"If you're dad says or does anything to threaten you about the marriage," Aubrey said. "Tell him to talk to your lawyer - that would be me. We will threaten him with injunctions and restraining orders if we have to. That will take time and you should have complete control of your own trust before he gets through all the legal actions we throw at him."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Trish tells Aubrey hugging her.

"I'll fly to LA with you tomorrow," Aubrey says. "That way I'll be close by when the shit hits the fan."

"What about Chicago?," Chloe said. "What about your dad?"

"All my cases have been cleared for now," Aubrey said. "I'll tell my dad I need to be in LA until we get things settled. Once he hears who I'm working for, he'll agree that I should be in LA for however long it takes."

"Brey," Beca says. "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely sure," Aubrey says.

"You can stay with Chloe at my condo," Trish said. "I mean, if it's okay with her."

"That's a great idea," Chloe said. "It will be like old times."

"I almost forgot," Trish said. "Chloe, we go to closing on your house on Wednesday. You'll own your new home before you go back to Tampa."

"Thanks, Trish," Chloe said. "I almost forgot about that."

Chloe made a note on her phone to contact her bank to get a certified check before Wednesday. Trish's phone rings.

"It's my dad, again," Trish says.


	10. Chapter 10

"Put it on speaker and answer it," Aubrey says. "I'll be ready to jump in if I need to."

"Okay," Trish says and does as Aubrey instructed. "Hey, dad. It's late. What's up?"

"WHAT'S UP?," Mr. Compton yells. "Did you and Mitchell elope to Vegas?"

Aubrey nods her head.

"Yes," Trish says. "We got married earlier today."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?," Mr. Compton asks. "She's obviously after your money."

"That's not true," Trish yells back at him. "She loves me and I love her. Getting married is what people in love do. Plus, she has her own money. She doesn't need mine."

"Bullshit!," Mr. Compton says. "She's using you for your money and to get to me. She wants more control over who she works with and when. She figures I'll listen to you and give in to her."

Beca looks like she is about to say something when Aubrey touches her and shakes her head.

"I'll fire her," Mr. Compton says. "Then let's see how much she loves you."

"Mr. Compton," Aubrey says. "This is Aubrey Posen. I have been hired as legal counsel by Trish and Beca. If you choose to fire Beca Mitchell without just cause, I will have no choice but to file a wrongful termination suit against you and your company."

"You hired a lawyer?," Mr. Compton said. "Why would you need a lawyer?"

"Beca and Trish need a lawyer to protect themselves," Aubrey said. "Trish knew you wouldn't approve of her marrying Ms. Mitchell. She also knows that you want to control every aspect of her life and she wants to be free of that."

"I don't try to control my daughter," Mr. Compton snaps at Aubrey. "I do what I do out of love for her."

"I know you love me, daddy," Trish said. "But, you do try to control me. You pick out men for me. Men who answer to you. You wanted me to marry one of them so you could have control over my trust fund through them. I love you, daddy, but I'm old enough to get married without your permission. And Beca Mitchell is the person I wanted to marry. We are happy together."

Trish starts crying. Chloe notices that Beca has left the room so she goes over to comfort Trish.

"Why don't we talk about this when you get back to LA?," Mr. Compton says placatingly. "Just you and me. We'll go lunch at the Greek place you like so much. Okay?"

"No, dad," Trish said. "If you want to talk to me, you'll have to do it in front of my wife or my lawyer."

Beca comes back into the room and stands next to Aubrey.

"Fine," Mr. Compton snarls through the phone. "You and Mitchell be in my office at 10:00 on Monday morning."

Mr. Compton hangs up before anything else can be said. Trish wipes her eyes and gives Chloe a small smile.

"Thank you," Trish says to Chloe.

"Aubrey," Beca says. "I just talked to my lawyers. My contract is up in less than a month. They said that I've met all my obligations under the contract, including those regarding producing and recording. So, if I decide not to renew my contract, I can still keep my client list."

"Good," Aubrey said. "We'll use that as leverage. I will go to the meeting on Monday to help Trish. You might want to have one of your lawyers go as well. I have a feeling Mr. Compton is not going to accept this marriage without a fight."

"It's late," Chloe says. "Maybe we should all try and get some sleep. What time are we scheduled to leave tomorrow?"

"The flight is at 1:00," Beca said. "I have a car picking us up at Noon to take us to the airport."

"How about we meet for the hotel's Sunday Brunch at 10:00," Aubrey suggests.

"Sounds good," Beca and Trish say.

Aubrey and Chloe go back to their suite. The bid each other a good night and go to their rooms.

"I'm sorry about all this," Trish said.

"It's okay," Beca said. "It's not like we weren't expecting it. And, it's my fault we're dealing with this now. I really am sorry about that."

"Stop apologizing," Trish said with a smile. "It turned out to be a good thing. Aubrey was here and able to slow things down a bit. If we had been on our own, who knows how this would have turned out. You have some great friends."

"WE have some great friends," Beca said. "Let's get some sleep."

Trish kissed Beca on the cheek.

"Um," Trish says. "It's our wedding night and I was wondering if you-" Trish starts laughing whens he sees the look of panic that comes across Beca's face.

"No, not that," Trish laughs harder. "I was going to ask if you would cuddle with me."

Beca's face turns red. She then lets out a soft chuckle.

"Sorry," Beca said. "It's not that I don't think you're attractive or anything. It's just that it would be , um, kind of weird."

"I agree," Trish said. "Let's not make it weird, and just cuddle. Okay?"

"Okay," Beca said and the two went into Trish's room.

Beca cuddles with Trish and is the big spoon.

"Hey, Beca," Trish says.

"Yeah," Beca responds.

"Thank you," Trish says. "I know it must be hard marrying me now that Chloe is back in your life."

"I made a promise to you," Beca said. "I don't intend to beak it."

Trish smiles and within minutes, both are fast asleep. Trish wakes first the next morning and shakes Beca awake.

"Beca?," Trish calls her. "It's a little after 9:00. We still have to pack and meet Chloe and Aubrey at 10:00."

"Okay," Beca says sitting up. "I'm up."

She gets up and heads to her room to throw her stuff in her suitcase. She takes a quick shower and dresses. She take her bag and goes into the living room. She leaves her bag by the door and knocks on Trish's bedroom door.

"Trish?," Beca calls out. "You ready?"

"Ready," Trish says as she walks out with her suitcase.

"Let's get Chloe and Aubrey," Beca said.

The couple take another quick look around to make sure they haven't forgotten anything. They walk next door to Chloe and Aubrey's suite and knock. Chloe opens the door dragging her suitcase.

"Aubrey's taking a last look to see if we forgot anything," Chloe said.

Aubrey comes out of the bedroom and grabs her suitcase.

"All set," Aubrey says.

The four girls head to the elevator and got to the lobby. They leave their luggage with the concierge and head to brunch. Once settled and everyone has their food, the girls settle in to eat.

"What can we do to prepare for the meeting with Mr. Compton?," Beca asks Aubrey.

"I don't know the man, so I can't really say," Aubrey says. "Just be prepared for anything and everything."

"He's going to get personal," Trish said. "He'll use anything he's heard about you, anything you may have told him, or just anything that has been rumored about you, against you."

"If he starts bringing things up that you don't want to talk about," Aubrey says. "Give me a sign and I'll shut it down."

"Thanks, Brey," Beca said.

"From a business perspective," Chloe says. "He'll back down as soon as his bottom line is threatened. He may come out swinging, but if he values his company at all, he'll know when to back down and let things go."

"You were right last night," Trish tells Beca. "We have some awesome friends."

The girls make it back to LA and Beca has her driver drop Chloe and Aubrey off at the condo. Chloe tells Aubrey she can have the Master Bedroom. Aubrey takes her suitcase to the room and unpacks what she can. She grabs her dirty clothes and heads back to Chloe.

"Where's the washer?," Aubrey asks whens he finds Chloe.

"Through that door behind the kitchen," Chloe says.

"Thanks," Aubrey says and goes through the door Chloe pointed out.

Chloe pulled down two wine glasses and poured some wine into them. She took the glasses over to the sofa and set them down on the table. She opened the curtains and was standing there looking at the view when Aubrey came back in.

"I poured us some wine," Chloes said and sat down on the sofa. "Trish was right. This is a great view."

"Hmm," Aubrey said taking sip of wine. "So, how are you holding up?"

"It's weird," Chloe said. "I mean, I stood there and watched Beca marry Trish, and I felt happy for them. I really like Trish and actually consider her a good friend."

"Good," Aubrey said. "They will need friends more than ever now that Trish's dad knows about the marriage."

"I'm just sorry I can't be there at that meeting tomorrow," Chloe said.

"I'll give you the blow by blow when you get home," Aubrey said.

"Oh, speaking of which," Chloe said getting up. "Let me give you a key and the codes for the condo."

Chloe goes to get the extra key Trish had given her. She also wrote down the security codes that Aubrey would need.

"Here you go," Chloe said handing everything to Aubrey. "The last number is for the car service I'm using while I'm here. If you need them, just use the authorization code underneath and tell them where you need to go."

"Thanks, Chlo," Aubrey said. "I'll use them tomorrow to take me to the studio for the meeting."

"You can leave with me in the morning," Chloe said. "I'm being picked up at 8:30 to be at the office by 9:00. The car can take you to the studio and you can meet Beca and Trish there."

"I'll text Beca and let her know I'll be at the studio by 9:15," Aubrey said. "I think Beca usually goes in around 9:00 unless she has someone coming in to record."

Aubrey sends her text and Beca replies that she'll be there by 9:15 as well. Aubrey and Chloe sit quietly for a few minutes.

"So," Chloe says breaking the silence. "Tell me about you and Stacie. When did that happen?"

"After Beca and you left Barden," Aubrey said. "The rest of us stayed in touch. Hoping that Beca would contact one of us to let us know she was okay. After 6 months when she called me looking for a lawyer, I contacted Stacie. She was the most adamant about finding Beca. Apparently, she and Beca had become closer than any of us knew. Anyway, we started talking and then stayed in contact. I would fly down to Barden to see her and she spent some of her breaks in Chicago with me. I went to her graduation last year and then she came to Chicago for the summer. I realized that I was in love with her and she felt the same. We've been doing the long distance thing since she's at Johns Hopkins now. Oh shit! I need to call Stacie and let her know I'm staying in LA for a while. She's supposed to come to Chicago to stay with me next week."

Before Chloe has a chance to say anything Aubrey jumps up and grabs her phone and suddenly turns to Chloe.

"Do you think Beca would be okay with me telling Stacie that her and Trish are married?," Aubrey asks.

"I don't know," Chloe said. "Let me call Beca and see what she says."

Chloe takes out her phone and dials Beca.

"Hey, Chlo," Beca says answering the phone.

"Hey," Chloe says. "Aubrey needs to know if she can tell Stacie that you and Trish are married. Stacie is supposed to meet Aubrey in Chicago next week and if Aubrey's staying in LA for a while, she needs to let Stacie know. And, Stacie will want to know why."

Chloe hears Beca relaying the conversation to Trish. Beca comes back on the line.

"We don't have a problem with it," Beca said. "We were just talking about how we were going to let the Bellas know we eloped. We were thinking of doing a video announcing our wedding and putting it on Instagram and Facebook."

"Hold on," Chloe said. "Beca said it was okay to tell Stacie. She also said they were talking about making a video announcement to put on Instagram and Facebook."

"Make sure Beca talks to her publicist first," Aubrey said. "They'll want to put something official out before anything else is put out there."

"Beca," Chloe says getting back on the phone. "Aubrey says to make sure you talk to your publicist before posting anything."

"Got it," Beca said. "I need to call them so I'll talk to you later. And thanks again for being there for me and Trish."

"No problem," Chloe said. "Bye."

Aubrey dials Stacie's number.

"Hey, babe," Aubrey says. "I've had a change of plans. Can you cancel your flight to Chicago and rebook for LA?"

"LA?," Stacie asked. "Why? Is Beca okay? Is Trish okay?"

"Everyone's fine," Aubrey reassured her. "Trish and Beca got married yesterday in Vegas. Her father is upset about it and they've hired me to be their lawyer."

"Wow!," Stacie said. "There is so much going on in that statement. How long will you be in LA?"

"I don't know," Aubrey says. "I am planning to spend at least a month. I need to be here until Trish's trust fund gets transferred to her and make sure her father doesn't do anything to keep that from happening."

"Okay," Stacie said. "I'll send you my fight info once I've changed my reservation. We will have to have a long talk when I get there. I have a feeling there is so much more to all of this than you are telling me."

"I'll tell you as much as I can," Aubrey said. "Now that I'm their lawyer, I have to abide by their wishes and maintain lawyer/client privilege."

"Fine," Stacie said. "I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you, too," Aubrey said and hung up the phone.

"Are you going to tell her everything?," Chloe asked.

"I want to," Aubrey said. "But, I know I can't without Beca and Trish's permission."

Stacie hung up from her call with Aubrey and started thinking. Something was off about Beca and Trish and them getting married. They didn't act like a couple in love. She only saw them kiss once. When Beca and Chloe were a thing at Barden, they both would kiss the other every chance they got. And they would cuddle together all the time. Beca and Trish didn't do that.

Beca had become so much more open while she was with Chloe. We became so much closer and I considered her one of my best friends until she just left. Everything she knew about Beca since Beca left Barden, was what she got from Aubrey. Aubrey didn't even tell me that Beca was engaged. She would definitely get to the bottom of whatever was going on.

The next morning, Chloe and Aubrey rode to Chloe's office together. Chloe got out telling Aubrey she'd see her later. Aubrey got to the studio at 9:15 and found Beca and Trish waiting for her in the lobby.

"My lawyer will be here in a few minutes," Beca said. "He wanted to meet with all of us before the meeting with Trish's father. I'm told him we're married but not the circumstances. He just thinks we're in love."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "Where are we meeting him."

"In my office," Beca said. "Follow me."

Beca took Trish's hand as they walked across the lobby to the elevators. They had talked the night before and discussed showing some PDA while at the studio. They got to Beca's office and five minutes later her lawyer showed up.

"Mark," Beca said. "This is one of my best friends, Aubrey Posen. She also happens to be our lawyer regarding everything except my contract. And, this is my wife, Trish Mitchell."

"It's a pleasure ladies," Mark said. "I just wanted to meet with all of you to make sure we are all on the same page. I've already told Beca about her contract. It all looks good on her side. I've received a few calls from other studios who wanted to know if she would be available to work for or with them when her contract expires at the end of the month."

"Seriously?," Beca asks.

"Seriously," Mark says with a laugh.

"More leverage for us," Aubrey says. "So, in a nutshell, Trish's dad doesn't approve of her marriage to Beca. He feels that Beca is only after her money or is using her to get to him so she can have more control and freedom on what she works on. Trish also has a very large trust fund that will be transferred to her now that she is married. Her father wants that money. Trish should get control over the money in 3-4 weeks. I am here to make sure that her father doesn't do anything underhanded to get his hands on her money before she has control of it."

"I had some dealings with trust funds before," Mark said. "Is her father's name on it anywhere?"

"Only where it says the fund transfers to him if I'm not married and die before I'm 25," Trish told them. "If I'm married my spouse gets the money."

"If that's the case," Mark said. "He doesn't have a leg to stand on."

"We have an appointment with the Trustee this afternoon," Trish said. "It's at 1:00. Aubrey, I was hoping you would go with us. Mark, would you be able to attend as well? Seems like you know something about trusts and might be able to help us if any questions arise."

"I'll go," Aubrey says.

"I can go as well," Mark said. "I just need to call my Assistant and have her reschedule a few things. Excuse me while I make that call."

Mark leaves the office to make his call. Beca is fidgeting with her hands and her leg is going up and down like a piston.

"Relax, Beca," Aubrey tells her. "You have all of us on your side."

Beca gives Aubrey a small thanks and smiles at her. Trish's phone rings and when she looks to see who it is she immediately answers.

"Hello," Trish says.

Trish is quiet as she listens to the voice on the other end of the phone.

"He did what?," Trish yells into the phone.

Beca and Aubrey both go stand by Trish's side.

"Yes," Trish says. "That's why I made an appointment to see you this afternoon.

Another break while Trish listens.

"No, no," Trish says. "You did the right thing. Thank you for calling me."

Trish hangs up and plops down on the sofa and puts her head in her hands.

"My father called the Trustee just a few minutes ago," Trish said looking up at Aubrey and Beca. "He told them that I had a mental breakdown and flew off to Vegas and got married to some golddigger. He 'ordered' the Trustee to deny me my trust fund until he could get me the help I needed."

"Damn," Beca said. "He really does want your trust fund doesn't he?"

"What else did the Trustee say?," Aubrey asked.

"He said that he told my dad that he had no say in the matter," Trish said. "If I presented them with a valid marriage license then the money would be transferred to me, no question."

"That's good," Mark said. "Sorry, I came back in and heard most of what Trish said. The Trustee did right. They are only obligated to the Grantor, which would be your grandparents, and the beneficiary, meaning you. Unless someone else's name is on the trust, there is nothing anyone else can do about it."

Trish let out a sigh of relief. Beca and Aubrey visibly relaxed as well.

"Don't worry," Mark said. "You got this."

Trish smiled a real smile for the first time since before she had spoken to her dad the day before.

"I'm so glad you're coming to both meetings with us," Trish said.

"Thanks, Mark," Beca said. "It means a lot to us."

"Just doing what you pay me for," Mark says with a laugh. "It's almost 10:00. Shall we head to the lion's den?"

The girls all get up and go out the door. Janice, Mr. Compton's secretary, greets them and asks them to wait a moment. She softly knocks on Mr. Compton's door and enters. She comes backo out a moment later and ushers them into the office. Mr. Compton walks over as he sees Trish and Beca but stops as soon as he sees Aubrey and Mark enter the room.

"Who the hell are they?," Mr. Compton asks Trish.

"Our lawyers," Trish tells him. "This is Aubrey Posen and Mark, um."

"Riley," Mark says.

"Why are they here?," Mr. Compton asks ignoring the two lawyers. "I thought I told you and Mitchell to come to this meeting."

"They are here make sure we are protected against anything you might try to do to us," Trish answers. "I already know about your phone call to the Trustee this morning."

Mr. Compton swallowed and tried to hide the guilt on his face.

"Fine," Mr. Compton said. "Please sit down."

He directed them to the conference table and everyone sat. They all sat and stared at Mr. Compton, waiting for him to begin.

"You're the one who demanded the meeting to talk, dad," Trish said. "So, talk."

"You never used to talk to me like this," Mr. Compton says angrily. "Only since you've started hanging around with _her_."

"She is my wife and her name is Beca," Trish said.

"Whatever," Mr. Compton says dismissively. "I wanted this meeting to tell you that I will no longer be responsible for your bills for the condo, or your credit cards, or your car."

"That's fine," Beca said. "I am more than capable of taking care of my wife financially."

"You can't if you don't have a job," Mr. Compton snarled.

"We spoke of this already, Mr. Compton," Aubrey said. "If you try to fire Beca we will be pursuing legal action against you. She has less than a month on her current contract with you. From what I understand, she has fulfilled all her obligations on that contract. So, you need to find something else to threaten them with."

Mr. Compton's jaw was clenched and he stared at Aubrey thinking he could intimidate her. Aubrey stared back at him with no emotion showing on her face.

"Fine," Mr. Compton. "But, just know this. We will not be renewing her contract."

"That's fine," Mark said. "She didn't want to renew it anyway. She's had several offer from other studios asking for her when her contract is done here. For you, she will spend the next three weeks finishing up whatever she has been working on. Those projects she cannot complete she will hand over to someone else, provided the artist is okay with it. Any questions so far?"

Mr. Compton's face gets red. This was not going the way he hoped it would.

"Nothing?," Mark says. "Good."

"Dad," Trish says softly. "I'm sorry it came to this. I don't want to do things this way, but you gave me no choice. Beca is the one person who I know who will do what I want with my money. She loves me and despite how you've acted toward her today, she will be there for you when I'm gone. Because that's the kind of person she is."

"Wait," Mr. Compton says sitting up in his chair. "What do you mean by when you're gone?"


	11. Chapter 11

Beca and Aubrey both jerk their heads up at this and look at Trish.

"She didn't tell her father about her brain cancer?," they both thought.

Trish reaches across the table and grabs her father's hands in her.

"Daddy," Trish says. "I have brain cancer and it's very progressive. I may only have about 5 months left. I don't want to fight with you during my last months. Please drop all this and just be my daddy."

Mr. Compton has tears falling down his face. He looks at Beca and see she is fighting back tears as well. He jumps up and runs around the table to grab Trish up in a tight hug.

"Why didn't you tell me before now?," Mr. Compton asks.

"Because I wanted to marry Beca," Trish tells him through her tears. "I only found out about a month ago and they said I had about a year. I knew if I told you, you would force me to cancel the wedding. Then on Thursday, the doctor told me the cancer had progressed and I probably had only about 5 months. Beca's two best friends, Chloe and Aubrey, were meeting Beca in Vegas over the weekend and I suggested we get married there."

"Oh, baby," Mr. Compton said. "I'm so sorry I was such a dick. I love you so much and I want to spend as much time as possible with you. That is if your wife is okay with that."

Beca looked up in surprise. Trish looked at her with hopeful eyes.

"Of course, Mr. Compton," Beca said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Call me, Bob," Mr. Compton tells Beca. "And thank you. Thank you for being there for my little girl. I'm sorry about all this. I don't know why I fought it so much. I mean, I've always liked you and you've been really good for the studio. I guess I just couldn't see Trish being married to a woman. I know that sounds bad, but I grew up with parents who thought homosexuality was a sin. I thought I had gotten past that way of thinking. I guess, when it's your own kid, you become one of two people, those who accept them and love them like you always did. Or, don't accept it and act like a jerk to them and their partner hoping to break them up. I didn't think I would ever be the latter."

Trish pulls back from her father.

"Are you done putting down my marriage?," Trish asked her father. "Do you accept Beca as your daughter-in-law? Are you going to stop trying to control me and get your hands on my trust fund?"

"Yes to everything," Bob says and pulls Trish back into another hug. "You know you're mother would have been so proud of you. Standing up and fighting me for love. What am I going to do without you."

Trish cried some more. She missed her mother so much. Mr. Compton tried to wipe the never ending tears from his eyes without success. Aubrey caught Beca's eye and nodded her head toward Trish. Beca furrowed her brows not knowing what Aubrey wanted her to do.

"Go comfort your wife," Aubrey mouthed to her.

"Oh," Beca whispered.

Beca got up and walked over to Trish and her father.

"Mind if I cut in for a minute?," Beca asked.

Mr. Compton and Trish pulled back. Mr. Compton released Trish and turned her into Beca's arms. Beca hugged Trish and held her for a minute.

"You okay?," Beca whispered to Trish.

"Yeah," Trish said sniffling. "I'm good. Thanks."

Beca pulls back from the hug and looks at Mr. Compton.

"Mr. Com-, sorry, Bob," Beca says. "Trish and I have plans for today but why don't you plan to spend tomorrow with Trish. Then we'd love to have you over for dinner. I'll invite Chloe and Aubrey as well. They are our best friends and it would be nice if you got to know them."

"Oh, daddy," Trish said. "Please say yes."

"I'd like that," Bob said. "Thank you, Beca."

"No problem," Beca said. "We should probably go."

Beca leads Trish, Aubrey, and Mark out of the office. They all go back to Beca's office where she hands Trish a box of tissue.

"That went better than I'd expected," Trish said after wiping her eyes.

"I can't believe you didn't tell your father about your cancer," Beca said. "You never told me he didn't know. I thought that was why he was fighting against us so hard."

"I did for the exact reason I told him I did," Trish said. "Because I knew he would have been ten times worse if he knew about it. He would have done everything to cancel the wedding and wait it out so he could get my trust fund. I love my father, but I also know he wouldn't hesitate if there was any way to get it."

"I'm not sure which is worse though," Beca said. "Him fighting us because of your cancer, or because he was being homophobic. He never came across that way so it never entered my mind that was the real reason. I'm glad that he's come to terms with it. At least, I truly hope he has."

"I don't condone Trish not telling him about the cancer," Aubrey said. "But is does seem to have helped put things back on track for you two."

"Am I missing something here?," Mark asked. "It sure sounds like there's a whole lot more to this than meets the eye."

"It's complicated," Beca said. "But, I promise, I'll tell you the whole complicated story someday."

"Okay," Mark said. "Now then, let's talk about your contract. I believe that maybe Mr. Compton will have a change of heart and want to renew your contract here. What do you want to do if he does?"

"I don't know," Beca said. "I mean, he did see something in me and hired me when no one else would. But, I think if anything happens to Trish, we'll both be a constant reminder of her and that might cause some problems down the road. What do you think, Trish?"

"I think you should sign with someone else," Trish said. "My dad may say he's okay with everything, but like you said, you'll be a constant reminder to him of everything he lost - me and my trust fund. I don't want to put you through that."

"You heard my wife," Beca says with a chuckle. "Get me the best deal you can with another studio. I don't want to go on tour to promote my new album. We can just say I want to spend as much time with my wife as I can."

"Got it," Mark said as he jotted down what Beca wanted.

"How do you feel about telling people about your cancer?," Beca asked Trish. "We can announce it when we announce our wedding. People will speculate about how quickly everything happened. If we get in front of it and tell the story the way we want then there shouldn't be any backlash. What do you think?"

"Can we decide that a little later?," Trish asked. "We have a meeting with your publicist later today. I'll decide by then. I'm still nervous about the meeting with the Trustee."

"Okay," Beca said. "It's almost lunch time. Let me treat everyone to lunch before we go see the Trustee."

"I'm in," Aubrey said.

"Sounds good to me," Mark said.

"Let's go," Trish said.

The four head off to lunch and make it to the Trustee's office with only minutes to spare before the appointment. Trish's name is called and the four walk into the office.

"Ms. Compton," Mr. Tyler, the Trustee says as Trish walks in. "It is a pleasure to see you. Please come in and have a seat."

"Actually, it's Mrs. Mitchell now," Trish said.

Trish takes a seat and Beca, Aubrey, and Mark find a place to sit as well. Trish introduces everyone and Mr. Tyler gets started.

"I started the paperwork to transfer your trust as soon as I hung up with you this morning," Mr. Tyler said. "All I need from you is a copy of the Marriage License and the account number where you want the money transferred."

Trish pulls out the Marriage License and hands it to Mr. Tyler. She asks for a pen and paper to write down the account info. She does that and hands it to Mr. Tyler.

"The license is in order," Mr. Tyler said. "I will expedite this as quickly as I can. If all goes well, you should have your money in about a week."

"A week?," Trish asks. "I thought it would take 3 or 4. Not that I'm complaining. It just caught me off guard."

"It could take up to 4 weeks," Mr. Tyler said. "But, that's if something comes up during the transfer. I don't see any red flags so there should be no problem transferring everything to you by this time next week."

"Can I ask how much it is?," Trish asked.

Mr. Tyler looked around at the other three people in the room. He took a pen and wrote down a number and handed it to Trish.

"One-hundred and twenty-five million dollars?," Trish asked loudly. "How is it this much? I know my grandparents were loaded, but not this loaded. No wonder my dad wanted to get his hands on it so badly. I'm rambling. I'll stop now."

Mr. Tyler smiled and said, "Your grandparents set this trust up for you when you were born. The interest has been building up for the past twenty-one years. They added to it as well over the years until their death. Selling off some of their properties and selling some of their stocks. They put it all in the trust."

Beca sat there stunned. Aubrey was quite surprised at the amount as well.

"This is just amazing," Trish said. "Thank you, Mr. Tyler. I appreciate everything you've done."

"My pleasure, Ms. Compton," Mr. Tyler said. "I'm sorry. Mrs. Mitchell.

"Is there anything I else I need to do?," Trish asked.

"That's it," Mr. Tyler said. "It was a pleasure, Mrs. Mitchell. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you."

"Thank you," Trish says.

The four leave Mr. Tyler's office.

"Holy shit," Beca whispers as soon as they are out the door.

Aubrey and Mark both laugh.

"Holy shit, indeed," Mark says. "I may have to rethink what I charge you now."

Everyone laughs and they head out to Beca's car.

"We're going back to the studio," Beca tells Aubrey and Mark. "That's where we're meeting with my publicist. Where do you guys need to go?"

"I need to go to my office," Mark said.

"I'm just going to head back to the condo," Aubrey said.

Beca gave the driver the info. He took Mark back to his office first and Mark bid them all a goodbye as he exited the car. As they were being driven to the condo to drop Aubrey off, Beca asked Aubrey if she and Trish could come by and have dinner with them.

"Let me text Chloe and see what time she thinks she'll be home," Aubrey said and sent the text.

"Chloe said she should be home about 6:00," Aubrey said. "She said she'd love to have dinner with you guys. She wants to hear all about what happened today."

"Great," Beca said. "We'll grab something on our way and be there between 6:00 and 6:30."

The driver pulled up in front of the condo.

"I'll see you guys for dinner," Aubrey said as she got out of the car.

Beca and Trish were waiting in her office when her publicist showed up. Beca showed her in and they sat down.

"So, what's going on?," Chelsea, the publicist asked.

"Well," Beca said. "Trish and I got married over the weekend. We eloped to Vegas. We want to break the story on our own terms. We were thinking of posting a video telling everyone."

"Wow," Chelsea said. "First, Congratulations. Second, is there anything I should know? There are going to be lots of questions and I need to be ready for them."

"Well," Beca said. "We know it was kind of fast, but we um, it's-"

Beca sighed and looked at Trish. Trish gave her a smile.

"I have brain cancer," Trish told Chelsea. "I really don't have a lot of time left. We love each other and wanted to be married as soon as possible so we eloped."

"Oh, my God," Chelsea said. "I am so sorry. Give me a minute."

Chelsea wipes a tear from her eye and starts jotting down some ideas. After a few minutes she looks up and hands her notepad to Beca. Beca reads what Chelsea has written and then looks up at her.

"I think we should go simple," Chelsea says. "Just a brief statement along these lines sent out to all the media outlets we can."

"This is perfect," Beca said. She handed the paper to Trish to read.

Trish finished reading it and nodded her head.

"Beca's right," Trish said. "This is perfect."

"Do you have any pictures of the wedding?," Chelsea asked.

"I know Chloe took some," Beca said. "I'll ask her to send them to us. We can discuss which ones we want to use."

"Sounds good," Chelsea said. "Have her get them to me ASAP."

"I'll call her now," Beca said. She pulled out her phone and called Chloe.

"Hey, Chlo," Beca said when she answered.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said. "What's up?"

"Can you send the pictures you took at the wedding to me?," Beca asked. "My publicist wants to use one with our statement."

"Sure, I'll do that right now," Chloe said. "See you guys at dinner."

"Thanks," Beca said and hung up. "She's going to send them right now."

Beca's phone pinged several times indicating that the pictures came through. She, Trish and Chelsea looked through and decided on what picture to use.

"I'll get this out later tonight," Chelsea said. "Congratulations again. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Beca and Trish both thank Chelsea and she leaves. Trish sits down and starts rubbing her temples.

"You okay?," Beca asks.

"Yeah," Trish said. "Just a lot going on today. I have a slight headache."

"Do you want to take something for it?," Beca asked. "I have some Tylenol here."

"If you don't mind," Trish said.

"Here," Beca says handing Trish two of the pain relievers and a bottle of water.

Trish swallows the pills with some water.

"Thanks," Trish said. "Where are we getting dinner from? We should be leaving her shortly."

"What's your favorite place near the condo?," Beca asked.

"Probably Mario's," Trish said. "They have some of the best Italian food around."

"Sounds good," Beca said. "Let me pull up their menu on my computer and see what we should order. Oh, I can order online for pickup."

"I want the stuffed shells," Trish said.

"Okay," Beca says. "I'll get that for Aubrey as well. She loves it. I'll get lasagna for Chloe and I'm going to get the steak fettuccine alfredo. I'll order some salads and garlic bread as well."

"Sounds good," Trish said. "I'm going use the restroom before we leave."

"Okay," Beca said.

Beca placed the order and added a small whole cheesecake for dessert. She knew the Chloe loved cheesecake.

Trish walked back into the office.

"Ready to go?," Beca asked. "The order should be ready in about 20 minutes. The car should be downstairs when we get there."

"All set," Trish said.

They left and picked up dinner. Beca texted to let Chloe and Aubrey they were on their way and would be there in less than 10 minutes.

"We brought Italian," Trish said as soon as the door was opened to them.

"We have stuffed shells for me and Aubrey," Trish said pulling them our of the bag. "And lasagna for Chloe. And steak fettuccine alfredo for Beca. We also have salads and garlic bread for everyone."

"What does everyone want to drink?," Chloe asks. "Aubrey and I are having wine. I hope that's okay."

"That's fine," Trish said. "I'll just have water."

"I'll have some wine," Beca said.

They decide to eat at the kitchen counter. Chloe pours three glass of wine and one glass of water and places them on the counter. She sits next to Aubrey.

"It all smells delicious," Chloe says taking her lasagna.

They all start eating and Chloe asks about what happened at all the meetings. They start with the meeting with Trish's dad.

"Seriously?," Chloe asks. "You didn't tell him until today about your cancer."

"I told you why I waited," Trish said. "He took it better than I had expected actually. But we're all good now, I think. You'll get to meet him at dinner tomorrow night. You'll see he's not such a bad guy."

Aubrey filled her in on the meeting with the Trustee.

"Holy shit!," Chloe exclaimed. "I figured it was going to be a lot, but wow!"

"That was our reaction, too," Aubrey said.

"I was surprised," Trish said. "I tried to play it cool, you know, like someone drops one-hundred million dollars on you every day."

"One-hundred twenty-five million dollars," Beca says.

The others laughed. Beca told Chloe and Aubrey about their meeting with Chelsea.

"She wrote up a really nice piece to put out to the media," Beca said. "It should be out there soon."

"I'll get a notification when it's out," Chloe said.

Beca, Aubrey, and Trish all look at her.

"What?," Chloe said. "I may or may not have been using social media to keep up with how Beca's been doing in her career."

Trish and Aubrey laugh and Beca just smirks. Chloe's phone pings and she jumps up excitedly.

"That's about Beca," she said grabbing her phone.

She opens it up and starts reading. She smiles while reading the article. She looks up when she is done.

"It's really nice," Chloe said.

"What does it say?," Aubrey asks.

"The headline reads 'Music Producer and Solo Artist, Beca Mitchell, Ties The Knot'," Chloe reads. "Twenty-three year old music producer, Beca Mitchell, eloped this past weekend. She married real estate agent Trish Compton, 21, in a ceremony held in Las Vegas. Ms. Compton is the daughter of Robert Compton, owner and head of "Compton Records", where Beca Mitchell has worked for the past five years. The couple met about six months ago and became engaged just one month ago. They were planning for their July 5th wedding when they received the devastating news that Ms. Compton has a very progressive form of cancer. Ms. Compton was given less than six months and the couple did not want to wait any longer so they flew to Vegas and got married. There two best friends, businesswoman Chloe Beale, and lawyer Aubrey Posen, were in attendance as maids of honor and witnesses. The couple ask for privacy and understanding during this emotional time for them. We wish to extend our congratulations to Trish and Beca."

"That is really nice," Aubrey said.

"Yeah," Beca said. "Chelsea said we'll probably get a lot of requests for interviews. She'll pass on ones she thinks I, or we, should do, but for the most part, she's going to ask folks to respect our wishes and leave us alone."

"Well," Chloe said. "With Aubrey, that Mark guy, and Chelsea on this, you should be fine. Plus, you have me. And anything, and I mean anything, I can do, just let me know."

"Thanks, Chloe," Trish said giving her a hug. "That means a lot."

"So," Aubrey says. "You guys consider us your best friends?"

"Of course they do, lawyer Aubrey Posen," Chloe said with a smile. "I, businesswoman Chloe Beale, wholeheartedly agree that we are."

"You're such a dork," Beca says with a laugh. "Anyway, I got dessert. Who wants cheesecake?"

"Lawyer Aubrey Posen," Chloe says trying to keep a straight face. "Would you like some wine with your cheesecake?"

"Why yes, businesswoman Chloe Beale," Aubrey says smiling. "I would love some wine with my cheesecake."

"You're both dorks," Beca says laughing at the two.

She gets the cheesecake out of the box and cuts it. She puts slices on the plates that Chloe gave her. Chloe hands out the plates and the girsl sit down to eat their dessert. Chloe and Aubrey continue to joke about how they were referred to in the article.

Beca notices that Trish had been quiet for the past few minutes. She watches as Trish just plays with her cheesecake.

"Hey," Beca whispers. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Trish whispers back. "I still have a headache. I'm going to use the bathroom. I'll be back."

"Okay," Beca says. She watches with a concerned look on her face as Trish walks away.

"Everything okay over there, Becs?," Chloe asks.

"What?," Beca asks turning to look at Chloe. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, everything's good. Trish just has a headache."

"Is she okay?," Chloe asks growing concerned.

"She's fine," Beca said.

Just then Trish walks back to the kitchen. She stops and looks at Beca.

"Trish?," Beca asks and gets up. She walks toward Trish.

"Beca," Trish said. "I don't feel so good."

Beca caught Trish just before she hit the floor. Chloe and Aubrey both jumped up and ran over to Beca and Trish.

"Call 911," Beca said.


	12. Chapter 12

"Beca, will you please stop," Trish said. "I'm fine. I passed out from the stress. That's all it was."

"That's all it was, she says," Beca says mimicking Trish. "I was scared to death."

"I know," Trish said quietly. "I'm sorry I worried you. The doctor said I need reduce the amount of stress I put on myself."

"Okay," Beca says. "I'll do my best to help with that."

"Hey, Trish," Chloe says as she enters the bedroom carrying a tray. "I brought you some soup since you missed breakfast."

"Thanks, Chloe," Trish said. "I think after I eat this, I'm just going to take a nap."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll just go and I'll check on you tomorrow."

"No," Trish said quickly. "I need you and Aubrey to stay. This one here is going to bother me all night long if someone isn't here to keep her occupied."

Chloe laughed. "We'll stay for a little while," Chloe told Trish.

"I don't need a babysitter," Beca mumbled.

Chloe and Trish both laughed. Chloe left the room and went to tell Aubrey they were staying for a while.

"Do you need anything before I leave you alone?," Beca asked.

"No, I'm good," Trish said.

"Okay," Beca said. "Just holler if you need anything.

"I will," Trish said.

Beca leaves Trish and goes to the living room to find Chloe and Aubrey chatting.

"How do we help relieve her stress?," Chloe asked. "I mean, with her father and the trust fund, and getting married, and the cancer. That girl is loaded up with things to be stressed about."

"We just need to keep her focused on other stuff," Aubrey said.

"Like what?," Beca asked.

"Take her on a trip," Aubrey said. "Tell everyone it's your honeymoon and they'll leave the two of you alone."

"That might work," Beca said. "We can go to my beach house. She loves the beach."

"That sounds perfect," Aubrey said.

"Can I ask you guys a favor?," Beca said nervously.

"Sure, Becs," Chloe said. "What is it?"

"Can you guys come with us?," Beca said. "I mean, she knows and trusts you both. It'll mean a lot to her to have someone other than me to talk to."

"I can," Aubrey said.

"I don't know," Chloe said. "I still have work to do for the move to LA. Plus, I need to go back to Tampa to help finalize things on that end."

"Oh, okay," Beca said looking dejected.

Chloe looks at Aubrey and then at Beca.

"Let me call Karen and see what I can do," Chloe said.

Beca's face lit up. "Thank you."

Chloe goes outside to the patio and calls Karen.

"Hey, Chloe," Karen says answering the phone.

"Hey, Karen," Chloe says. "How are things going?"

"Everything is going well," Karen said. "We've got a lot of the folks packed up and ready to go. Some of them are asking if they can leave in two weeks instead of later. They have rentals and housing already set up and they would like to get situated before they jump right into working."

"That's not a bad idea," Chloe said. "Are Steve and Jennifer ready to move out here now?"

"Yes," Karen said. "So are, David T and Michael F. I think Suzie is good to go as well."

"Okay," Chloe says. "Can you find out if Steve and Jennifer can be out here by the end of the week? I need to stay out here a little longer for personal stuff and will need them to keep things moving here in LA. Tell them I'll give them two weeks paid leave when I leave for Tampa. Also, tell the other three they can come out in two weeks. I'll plan to come back to Tampa then and can take care of the final aspects of the move when I get back."

"Okay," Karen said. "There are a few meetings on your schedule over the next two weeks. Do you want me to set them up as conference calls?"

"That would be great," Chloe said. "Just put them on my schedule with the call-in info. I'll let you know for sure when I'm returning so you can schedule my flights."

"No problem," Karen said. "Is there anything else?"

"That's it for now," Chloe said.

"Since you'll only be here for two weeks before you make your move to LA," Karen said. "How about we plan to have you over for dinner your last night here?"

"I'd love that," Chloe said. "Thank you, Karen."

"You're welcome," Karen said. "I'll send you the conference call info in the morning."

"Thanks, again," Chloe said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay," Karen said. "Bye Chloe."

Chloe hangs up and runs her hand through her hair. She mentally chastises herself for feeling guilty about delegating the job of setting up the new office to her VPs. She has a right to take some time for herself. Doesn't she? Her thoughts are all over the place when Aubrey steps out to check on her.

"Everything okay, Chloe?," Aubrey asks.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "Just feeling guilty for making my VPs do their job."

"You never were someone who liked to delegate," Aubrey said. "You always felt guilty and would just do it yourself so you didn't have to bother anyone else."

"I guess some things never change," Chloe said. "Where's Beca?"

"She went to check on Trish," Aubrey said.

"Oh no," Chloe said. "Trish wanted us to stay to keep Beca from constantly bothering her."

Chloe and Aubrey go back inside to find Beca standing in the middle of the living room looking like someone just kicked her puppy.

"She kicked me out," Beca said.

Chloe and Aubrey tried not to laugh at the forlorn expression on Beca's face.

"She did tell you to not bother her so she could sleep," Chloe said.

"I know," Beca said. "But I was just worried about her."

"We know, Beca," Aubrey said giving her a hug. "But, you have to respect Trish's wishes."

Beca giggled.

"Sorry," Beca said. "Trish's wishes. It rhymed."

"You're such a child," Aubrey said with a chuckle.

"Aubrey?," they hear Trish's voice call out.

"I'll go see what she wants," Aubrey said and goes to Trish's room.

Beca sits down next to Chloe and leans her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"I rearranged a few things so I can go to the beach house with you," Chloe said.

"That's great," Beca said looking at Chloe. "Think we can leave tomorrow?"

"Can we wait until the day after?," Chloe asked. "I need to do a few work things and Stacie is flying in tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure Aubrey will ask if she can go with us."

"That should be fine," Beca said. "I'll go tell Trish and Aubrey."

Beca gets up and Chloe stops her.

"Let's give them a few minutes," Chloe said.

Beca nodded and sat back down.

"I know I've said it before," Chloe says quietly. "But I really have missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too," Beca said. "I know I acted like it was no big deal when we talked at the reunion. And as much as I wanted to, I could never hate you for what you did. Aubrey had told me about your dad and his plan. I wanted to contact you but I really didn't want to see you with Ray. I was also afraid that if I did get in touch with you, I wouldn't have been able to keep myself from being with you. I'm not a cheater."

"I get that," Chloe said. "We seemed to have cornered the market on wrong time, wrong place."

"I shouldn't have asked you to wait for me," Beca said. "I mean it's totally unfair to you. What if Trish gets better and we have to continue this charade? What if you meet someone you want to be with and can't because you feel an obligation to wait for me? This is so fucked up."

Beca leans forward putting her elbows on her knees and holding her head in her hands. Chloe take Beca's hands and lifts her head up by her chin. Beca keeps her eyes down.

"Hey," Chloe said causing Beca to look at her. "I've had five years to be with someone else. I haven't because I never stopped thinking about you. I love you. And as wrong as that is to say right now, it will be right sometime. I can wait."

"I still love you, too," Beca says.

Beca looks at Chloe and starts to lean in. Chloe pulls back and swallows.

"That's not a good idea," Chloe says.

"I know," Beca says. "I'm sorry. I just said I'm not a cheater and one look from you and I'm ready to become that person."

"Let's go talk to Trish about the beach trip," Chloe says.

Chloe and Beca go to Trish's room to find her and Aubrey chatting.

"Can we talk to you about something?," Beca asks Trish.

"Sure," Trish said. "What's up?"

"We thought it would be good for us to get away for a week," Beca said. "Go to my beach house and help relieve some of your stress. We'll tell people it's our honeymoon. Chloe, and Aubrey and Stacie will come with us."

"That sounds like fun," Trish said.

"Thanks for including Stacie," Aubrey said. "I'm sure she'll love it."

"Great," Beca said. "We'll plan to leave on Thursday. I'll call Mrs. Paulson and ask her to get the place ready for us. I'll also ask her to stock up on some groceries. Is there anything special you guys want?"

"Make sure there's plenty of fresh veggies on hand," Trish said. "And some fish."

"I'm good with anything," Chloe said.

"Nothing special I can think of," Aubrey said.

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll call Mrs. Paulson now."

Beca leaves and Chloe watches until she's gone.

"You've got it bad for her," Trish says with a laugh causing Chloe's head to whip around.

"Sorry," Chloe says. "I have to be better at hiding it. I don't want to tip off your dad. Although, if she wears a bikini while we're at the beach, I can't promise I won't look."

"And drool over her?," Aubrey asks causing Trish to laugh.

Chloe's face shows no emotion but her cheeks redden.

The next afternoon, Aubrey picks Stacie up at the airport. Beca and Trish invite Chloe to come by after work so she can stay with them giving Stacie and Aubrey some time to themselves for the night. Chloe is sitting and talking with Beca and Trish when her phone rings.

"Excuse me," Chloe says. "I have to take this."

Chloe walks out to the patio and answers the phone.

"Hey, Karen," Chloe says.

"Hey," Karen says. "Just wanted to update you on what's happening. Got a minute?"

"Sure," Chloe says.

"Steve and Jennifer will be flying to LA on Friday," Karen tells her. "Will you be able to meet with them?"

"No," Chloe said. "I'm leaving tomorrow for a week. I've left them a list of things they will need to take care of. The list is in my office, plus, I'll be reachable by phone the whole time."

"Okay," Kare says. "Anything else I should tell them?"

"I'll plan to spend the whole day with them next Friday," Chloe said. "They can update me then. Also, get me on a flight leaving the next day. I'll need a day to recuperate and get ready for those last two weeks in Tampa."

"You go it, boss," Karen said. "Talk to you later."

"Bye," Chloe says and hangs up.

Chloe goes back inside to find Beca sitting by herself.

"Trish got tired," Beca explained. "She said to give you her apologies."

"That's okay," Chloe said. She leaned her head to the side and listened to the music playing softly in the background. "Hey, is this that new song you were working on?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "Dance with me?"

"Beca," Chloe said quietly.

"It's just a dance, Chlo," Beca said holding out her hand.

Chloe sighed and took Beca's hand. Beca pulled Chloe to her and put her other hand around Chloe's waist. Chloe put her hand on Beca's shoulder and laid her chin on her hand. Beca slowly guided them around the living room, humming the song in Chloe's ear. The song ended and they just stood motionless, holding onto each other. Chloe finally pulled back.

"I'm going to go to bed," Chloe said. "Tomorrow's a busy day."

"Yeah," Beca said. "I'll, um, see you in the morning. Sleep well."

"Good night, Becs," Chloe said and went to her room.

The next morning, Trish and Beca were sitting at the kitchen counter drinking coffee when Chloe came in. Trish poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Chloe.

"Thanks," Chloe said.

"We want to get on the road soon," Beca said. "We still need to pick up Aubrey and Stacie and I want to get to the beach house in time for lunch."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Let me finish my coffee and I'll get ready."

The three girls get ready and grab their bags. They pick up Aubrey and Stacie and arrive at the beach house just before 1:00 pm. Traffic was a bit heavier getting out of the city than Beca allotted for. The girls all decided who was going to be in what room and went to unpack. Beca put her bags in her room and went back to the kitchen. She made a grilled chicken caesar salad for lunch. She was just throwing some parmesan cheese on the salad when Trish and Chloe come into the kitchen.

"That looks good, Beca," Trish said.

"Thanks," Beca said. "I figured everyone would be hungry but I didn't want to make something heavy. Especially since we're having dinner on the beach tonight."

"Dinner on the beach?," Stacie asks as she and Aubrey come into the kitchen. "What's on the menu?"

"Well," Beca said. "I made a few calls yesterday and we are having an actual crab boil. There will be crab of course, shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes. They'll actually cook everything over a fire on the beach."

"That sounds good," Aubrey said. "I love when you do the crab boil on the beach."

The girls spent the afternoon just hanging out on the beach. The area was private so they didn't have to worry about too many people crowding them. Beca did wear a bikini and Chloe's faced turned red when she saw Aubrey and Trish look at her with a smirk on their faces.

The guys putting together the crab boil for them showed up at about 4:30 to get things started. The girls all watched as they dug a small hole and got a fire going. They then put a wire stand over the fire and placed a large pot on it. They put in the potatoes and corn, adding just enough water to cover, and let that cook for a bit. They then added the crabs and sausage and some crab seasoning. It was almost 6:00 when they added the shrimp in the pot. About 15 minutes later it was ready and they called the girls over to the picnic table.

Chloe, Trish, and Aubrey threw on a t-shirt and shorts over their bikinis. Beca and Stacie opted to just stay in their bikinis. They all sat at the table and Beca placed a beer in front of everyone except Trish. The guys dumped the pot on the table and the girls started digging in. They all were laughing and carrying on while they ate. There wasn't much left when they had their fill. Beca collected up the leftovers and carried them into the house. She put everything in the refrigerator thinking she could make a really good seafood soup or chowder with them.

Beca went back to the table and the girls had cleaned everything up. Chloe said she was going to take a walk on the beach if anyone was interested. Trish said she was tired and was going to go rest for a bit. The other girls declined and Chloe headed down the beach.

Chloe enjoyed the walk. She was relaxed and enjoying herself. She hadn't had a real vacation in almost five years. Her father always said it was a waste of time because she had responsibilities. Chloe shook her head trying to shake loose thoughts of her father. She returned to the beach house almost 2 hours after she had walked off. She hadn't realized she had been gone that long.

She walked back into the house and found all four girls watching a movie. Rather, Trish, Aubrey and Stacie were watching a movie. Beca was sleeping with her head leaning back on the couch. Chloe smiled and laughed.

"This brings back some memories," Chloe said.

"Every Bellas movie night," Stacie said laughing as well.

"Tell me more about the Bellas," Trish said.

"Where do we begin?," Aubrey said with a laugh.

"How did you get Beca to join?," Trish asked. "She said something about her father telling her she had to join a group but she never did say how she came to be in the Bellas."

Chloe's face turned a dark shade of pink and Stacie and Aubrey started laughing.

"Well," Aubrey said. "Chloe and I were manning the Bellas booth at the Activities Fair when Beca walked by. Chloe had already noticed her and thought she was really cute. They started talking and exchanged numbers. Then Beca said she couldn't sing but that she'd love to take Chloe out sometime. Chloe was heartbroken about Beca not singing but did accept the offer of a date."

"And I heard her sing and talked her into joining," Chloe interrupted. "The end."

Stacie and Aubrey both laughed out loud.

"I can tell there is so much more to the story," Trish said. "Spill!"

"Okay, okay," Aubrey said catching her breath from laughing. "Any way Beca and Chloe made a date for that Friday night. Chloe had to use the showers at Baker Hall because I was sick and couldn't stay out of the bathroom."

Chloe snorted. Aubrey glared at her.

"Anyway," Aubrey said. "From what I pieced together from the story I got from both Beca and Chloe, Beca came in to shower and started singing. Chloe heard her and went into her shower stall, naked. She insisted Beca sing with her and when they were done she told her she had to try out for the Bellas. Later when Beca came to pick Chloe up for their date, Beca couldn't look at Chloe without blushing. Their date went rather well and they laughed about the shower incident. Beca decided to give the Bellas tryout a shot and she got in."

"You went into the shower stall," Trish said. "Of someone you heard singing. You had no idea it was Beca. It could have been anybody."

"In my defense," Chloe said. "She sounded really good and we needed good singers."

Aubrey and Stacie laughed harder.

"It was just a bonus for Chloe," Stacie said between laughs. "That it was Beca. A very naked Beca singing Chloe's jam. _Her lady jam_."

"Shut up," Chloe said getting redder by the second.

"Lady jam, huh?," Trish said laughing. "That is priceless."

Beca woke up when she heard Trish laugh.

"What'd I miss?," Beca asked stretching and yawning.

"From what I hear," Trish said with a giggle. "Not much."

Aubrey and Stacie snickered when Beca looked around confused. She looked at Chloe who was looking down at the floor, cheeks a crimson red.

"Let me guess," Beca said. "You told Trish about the shower incident."

The girls couldn't hold it in any longer and started laughing. Chloe finally gave up and laughed along with them. Shortly after everyone settled down, they decided to call it a night.

The next day was spent much like the first. Just hanging out on the beach, swimming and laying around trying to get a tan. After lunch, Chloe decided to take a walk along the beach. Beca asked if she could join her and Chloe agreed.

They walked for a bit and Chloe stopped and sat down. Beca sat next to her and put her head on Chloe's shoulder. They sat and just stared out over the water.

"This is so peaceful," Chloe said. "I haven't been this relaxed in years."

"I know," Beca said. "That's why I bought the beach house. It's private and I can come here and just do nothing. It's a great stress reliever."

They sat quietly for a bit longer. Chloe checked the time and said they should probably head back. She got up and held her hands out for Beca to help her up. She yanked a little harder than she intended, causing Beca to fall into Chloe. Chloe was caught by surprise and they both ended up on the sand with Beca on top of Chloe. They both started laughing and Beca put her head down on Chloe's shoulder. They pulled themselves together and managed to stand up. They wiped the sand off, well as much as they could and started walking back to the beach house.

"Thanks for including me in this trip," Chloe said stopping Beca before they got to the house. "I was serious when I said I haven't been this relaxed in quite some time."

"I'm glad you could come," Beca said.

Chloe pulled Beca into a hug. Beca hugged Chloe back and just held on for a few minutes. They finally pulled back and looked at each other. Chloe shook her head to clear it.

"We should get back," Beca said.

"Yeah," Chloe replied and they continued to the beach house.

Later that night, the girls were watching a movie when Trish's phone rang.

"Sorry," Trish said with a small smile. "It's my dad. He probably just wants to check on me."

Aubrey paused the movie so Trish could answer the call.

"Hey, dad," Trish said.

 _"You need file annulment papers immediately," her father said._

"What the hell, dad?," Trish said. "I thought you said you were okay with me and Beca being married."

 _"I was, her father said. "Until I found out she's already cheating on you."_


	13. Chapter 13

"Beca would never do that," Trish said. "I knew everything you said was a lie. You still want to get your hands on my trust fund."

Beca's phone pings and she looks at it and sees it's from Trish's father. She opens the message and her face pales. Aubrey asks her what's wrong and Beca just shows Aubrey her phone. Aubrey gets Trish's attention and shows her Beca's phone.

"Did you have us followed?," Trish asks her dad angrily. "I see the pictures. It's not what you think."

 _"Yes, I had Beca followed because I don't trust her," her dad responds. "I'm glad I did. Beca is cheating on you with that redheaded friend of hers."_

"You don't know what you're talking about," Trish said. "Beca and Chloe would not do that to me. They have too much respect for me to do that. Which is more than I can say for you."

Trish let out a sob and tears fell down her face.

"You had me fooled with your little act," Trish said through her tears. "I really thought you cared about me and my happiness when all you really cared about is my trust fund."

 _"That little bitch ruined everything," her dad says. "I owe a lot of money and will lose the studio if I can't pay it back. The trust fund should have been mine. You owe me."_

Beca was sitting next to Trish holding her in her arms while she cried and talked to her father.

"I truly hate you right now," Trish told her father.

 _"Oh, boo hoo," her father said. "You're going to sign over a part of your trust to me. I'll only need fifty million. That will pay off what I owe and I'll have some left over to keep the studio running. Do it and I won't drag your wife's name through the mud. You have until tomorrow and then the pictures go out on all social media. Let's see how far she gets once it gets out that she's already cheating on her dying wife."_

Trish hangs up the phone without saying another word. Beca holds Trish while she continues to cry. After a few minutes, she finally calms down and was able to tell Beca what her father had said.

"That fucker," Beca said through clenched teeth.

"We need to get in front of this," Aubrey said.

"How?," Trish asked. "Those pictures look bad."

Chloe started to say something but Trish stopped her.

"I know it's not what it looks like," Trish said. "I trust you and Beca. These pictures are taken out of context but they do look bad for Beca and you."

"What if Trish puts them out?", Stacie asked. "She can post it on her Instagram and caption it with something like 'My clumsy wife. Good thing her best friend was there to break her fall.' We could take extra pictures of all of us and post those as well. Then the pictures won't be that big a deal."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Aubrey says. "We can even hashtag it #trishandbecahoneymoon. Then we can post our own pictures with the same hashtag."

"I've got some of us at the crab boil," Chloe said.

"I've got a few more on the beach," Stacie said.

"This could work," Aubrey said. "What do you think, Trish? Beca?"

"I think it sounds good in theory," Beca said.

"I like it," Trish said. "If we treat them as the innocent pictures we know they are, the fans will treat them the same way. And, if my dad tries to make it out to be something else, he'll be the jerk, not you. No offense, babe."

"None taken," Beca says with a laugh.

"Let's do this," Trish says. "Beca send the pictures to my phone. I'll save them and get started. You guys do the same."

The girls spend the next hour coming up with funny captions for their pictures and getting them posted.

It didn't take long for the girls' phones to ping with comments on the photos. Everyone was talking about how funny and clumsy Beca was and loving the pictures of their friends spending their honeymoon with them. Now they just had to wait for Trish's father's next move.

They found out Mr. Compton's next move as Trish's phone started ringing at 6:00 am on Sunday morning. She ignored her father's calls and he just filled her voicemail with messages filled with hate and foul language. Aubrey had Trish download all the messages to a thumb drive. She then called her father to ask him for legal help. She explained everything that had happened and had him listen to some of the voicemails.

"He hasn't said anything to incriminate himself in any way," Mr. Posen said. "Being hateful and cursing is not enough to have charges filed against him. Keep saving the messages and if you hear any threats towards Trish or Beca, call me. If he mentions anything about the trust fund and the fifty million dollars, call me. He's bound to slip up at some point."

Just then Trish's phone rings with another call from her dad.

"Sorry, dad," Aubrey tells Mr. Posen. "It's Trish's dad again."

"Tell her to answer and put it on speaker," Mr. Posen says. "You put me on speaker so I can jump in if I need to."

Both girls did as Mr. Posen instructed.

"What do you want, dad?," Trish asks answering her phone.

"You know what I want," Mr. Compton said.

"I'm not giving it to you," Trish said. "The trust fund was set up for me, not you."

"It should have been mine to begin with," Mr. Compton tells her. "If I really wanted it, I can have the whole 125 million and there's nothing you or Beca can do about it."

"Are you threatening us?," Beca yells.

"Oh, good," Mr. Compton says. "The little bitch is listening in so I won't have to repeat myself for her benefit. I get what I asked for and your pretty little redheaded friend will make it home safely from her little walk on the beach."

"Where's Chloe?," Beca asking her face going pale.

"She went for a walk on the beach like she always does," Aubrey responded.

Beca and Stacie both ran out the door. Beca saw a commotion down the beach to her left.

"There!," she yelled to Stacie pointing.

Stace and Beca took off. Stacie had Beca height-wise, by a good four inches, but Beca managed to outrun her. When she got close enough she saw Chloe struggling against two men. Beca reached them and started throwing punches, landing a few good ones to one guy's head and face. His grip loosened and Chloe managed to pull herself away from the other. Stacie showed up and used her long legs to kick the second guy in the stomach and groin area. He fell to the sand groaning and holding his junk.

The first guy, started throwing wild punches at Beca. She managed to dodge most of them but he got lucky and got her on the right side of her head, catching her cheek. She went down, hard. Stacie and Chloe both jumped the guy and pummeled him to the ground. They heard sirens in the background and managed to hold both men at bay until the police came running up to them. Chloe ran to Beca and held her.

The two men were arrested. Stacie explained what had happened and they called the LA police to arrest Mr. Compton. The paramedics were loading Beca into the ambulance.

"Go with her," Stacie told Chloe. "I'll get Trish and Aubrey and we'll meet you at the hospital."

Chloe jumped into the back of the ambulance and they took off. Stacie made her way back to the house and grabbed Trish and Aubrey telling them what had happened to Beca. She got them both in the car and raced off to the hospital. It took them almost thirty minutes to get to the hospital. Once they made it, the three girls ran in to find Chloe sitting in the waiting room with her head in her hands.

"Where's Beca?," Aubrey asked as soon as she saw Chloe. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Chloe said. "She came to in the ambulance. She has a cut on her cheek that they're stitching up now. She's got a bruised hand from where she punched the guy. And, they want to run a CT scan as a precaution to make sure she doesn't have a concussion. They'll probably keep her overnight for observation."

Trish hugged Chloe and Chloe stood there hugging her back. Chloe pulled out of the hug and wiped a tear from her cheek.

"You should be able to go back to see her before they take her down for her scan," Chloe told Trish.

A doctor comes out and asks for the family of Beca Mitchell. Trish steps forward.

"I'm her, um, wife," Trish said.

"I'm Dr. Harris," the doctor says. "Would you mind coming with me?"

"Chloe needs to come, too," Trish said.

"Who's Chloe?," the Dr. Harris asked.

"Our best friend," Trish said.

"That's fine," Dr. Harris said.

The doctor took the two girls back to Beca's room. The doctor stopped just outside the door.

"We told Mrs. Mitchell that we wanted to do a CT scan to check for a concussion," Dr. Harris tells them. "She won't give us her approval to do the test. We highly recommend that she allow it so we can treat the concussion if necessary. We're hoping you can talk some sense into her."

"I can't," Trish said stepping back.

"Are you okay?," Chloe asked.

"Beca doesn't want the CT scan," Trish said. "Because it reminds her of me. I went in for a simple CT scan because of headaches I was having and that's how they found out I had cancer."

"Oh," was all Chloe said. "Dr. Harris, is there some other way of determining whether Beca has a concussion? Other than the CT scan I mean."

"She did take a pretty hard hit to the head," Dr. Harris said. "But, she isn't showing any symptoms and the scan was just a precautionary measure. I think she'll be fine if we don't do one. We still want to keep her overnight for observation. She can go home later tomorrow."

"Thank you, Dr. Harris," Chloe said.

Trish thanked the doctor as well. Dr. Harris opened the door and entered Beca's room. Beca was sitting up in the bed and looked at the doctor and the two girls he brought in with him.

"Now, Mrs. Mitchell," Dr. Harris said. "We need to keep you overnight for observation. As I was telling your wife and friend, you can go home later tomorrow."

"No brain scan?," Beca asked.

"No brain scan," Dr. Harris told her.

"Okay," Beca said. "I guess I can handle one night here."

"Good," Dr. Harris said. "I'll come by and check on you later."

"Thank you, doctor," Beca said as he left.

"Are you out of your mind?," Chloe yelled at Beca and slapped her on the arm.

"What the hell, Chloe?," Beca said rubbing her arm.

"You could have been killed," Chloe said tears gathering in her eyes.

"She's right," Trish added. "You and Stacie were pretty stupid running out there like that. You were also pretty brave."

"Yeah," Chloe sniffled. "Badass Beca Mitchell lives. Thank you."

"I'd do anything for you, Chloe," Beca said quietly. "You know that."

"I know," Chloe said. "Just stop being a hero. I don't now what I'd do if I lost you."

"We all love you, Beca," Trish said. "And, I personally don't think I could handle a sad Chloe. So, please, just call the police next time."

"Okay," Beca said. "No more stupid heroics."

"Good," Chloe said leaning down and giving Beca a quick kiss.

Chloe had pulled back with a smile on her face. Her face suddenly fell when she realized what she had done. She looked at Beca and then at Trish.

"Oh, my God," Chloe said. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have, I, um"

Chloe turned and started to run out of the room.

"Chloe, stop!," Trish said grabbing her arm as she tried to push past. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Chloe said.

"Trish could you give us a minute?," Beca asked.

"Sure," Trish said. "Take your time."

Trish smiled at Chloe and gave her arm a squeeze before she left. Chloe stood where she was, staring at the ground. Beca got up and walked over to her.

"Chlo?," Beca said gently. "It really is okay."

"I promised I wouldn't do anything like that while you were married to Trish," Chloe said.

"It was a momentary lapse," Beca said. "No harm. No foul."

"But what if we were around other people?," Chloe asked looking at Beca. "It could make things even worse with Trish's father."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Chloe answered and Trish walked back in.

"I just got a text from Aubrey," Trish said. "They arrested my father. Those two guys that tried to take Chloe rolled over on him in a heartbeat."

"I'm so sorry, Trish," Chloe said.

"Me, too," Beca said.

"I'm not," Trish said. "He deserves to rot in jail for what he did. I don't know what happened to him. He didn't use to be like this. Now, I don't even know him any more."

"I know this probably isn't the right time," Chloe said. "But, what's going to happen to the studio?"

"It will probably be sold off," Trish said. "My father's name is the only one listed as owner. I have no claim on it."

"Would the fifty million your father asked for be able to buy it outright?," Chloe asked.

"It will probably be sold for only 30 million," Beca said. "It's made a profit in every quarter for the last 4 years that I know of. But, it's also a smaller label and doesn't get many big names."

"It should though," Trish said. "People know who you are. You're the only grammy winner daddy had on staff."

Beca looked tired so Chloe suggested they let Stacie and Aubrey visit a bit before Beca went to sleep and they went back to the beach house. Once they got outside the door, Chloe turned to Trish.

"Can we talk?," Chloe asked. "I have a business proposition for you."

Trish told Stacie and Aubrey they should go visit with Beca. Chloe told Trish what she had in mind while they sat in the waiting room.

"That sounds like a good idea," Trish said. "I'm in."

"Great," Chloe said. "After we get Beca back to the beach house tomorrow, I'm going to go back to LA and get my people on it.

All four girls went to the hospital to pick up Beca the net day. Beca kept slapping Trish and Aubrey's hands away as they tried to take her arm to help her.

"I'm fine," Beca kept telling them. "I can walk by myself. I don't need your help."

As they walked out the hospital doors, the paparazzi were waiting for Beca. Beca sighed and the girls all circled around her hoping they would leave her alone. Cameras were going off and questions about her injuries were flying. The girls managed to push past the paparazzi and get Beca into the car without too much trouble. Stacie drove and went all over the place until they were sure no paparazzi were following them. They finally made it back to the beach house and went inside. Once Beca was settled back in, Chloe came to the living room carrying a suitcase.

"I have a car coming and it should be here any minute," Chloe said. "I need to be in LA for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning."

"I thought you rearranged everything so you could be here," Beca said.

"I did," Chloe said. "This just came up and I have to handle it in person. I'll be back tomorrow night. I promise."

"Okay," Beca said. "Good luck and have a safe trip."

"Thanks," Chloe said. "I will."

The two couples left at the beach house did what they had been doing for the past couple of days. Trish and Aubrey wouldn't stop fussing over Beca, much to her chagrin. Stacie was continually amused at how grumpy Beca would get every time Trish or Aubrey asked her if she was okay.

Chloe arrived at the condo and made several phone calls. She made arrangements to meet with her lawyers early the next morning. She went to bed feeling excited for the first time in a long time.

Chloe woke early and was ready to head to the office when her car finally arrived. She sat in the back seat her legging bouncing up and down nervously. She was glad to see that the lawyers were arriving when she did. They went straight to work. Chloe read over the proposal and suggested some minor changes. The lawyers worked the changes in and Chloe was ready for step 2.

Chloe and the lawyers then got in the car and went to the one place they needed to go to finalize everything - the LA County Jail. Chloe sat nervously with her two lawyers waiting for Mr. Compton to be brought to the visiting room. A guard finally escorted him in and when he saw Chloe his eyes narrowed.

"What the hell do you want?," Mr. Compton spat out at Chloe.

"I am here to make you an offer on your studio," Chloe said.

"I'm not selling," Mr. Compton said.

"Fine," Chloe said. "Then I guess I'll just buy it up when it goes up for auction."

She gets up as if she were leaving.

"Wait!," Mr. Compton says loudly. "What are you offering?"

Chloe sat back down with a smile on her face.

"How much of the fifty million you asked Trish for is to cover your loans?," Chloe asked.

"Twenty-five," Mr. Compton said.

"I will pay off your loans but the studio will be mine," Chloe said.

"No," Mr. Compton said.

"I'm your only solution," Chloe said.

"I still have Trish," Mr. Compton said with a smirk.

Chloe laughed.

"No, you don't," Chloe replied. "You can either sell me the studio for what you owe in loans, and keep your personal funds so when you get out you can start with a clean slate. Or, you can lose your studio outright and have your assets frozen until the loans are repaid and end up with nothing. The choice is yours."

Mr. Compton runs his hands through his hair. He looks at Chloe and then at the two lawyers.

"I really do love my daughter," Mr. Compton tells Chloe. "I just ran into some stuff that I couldn't handle and got scared."

Chloe looks down at her hands, inspecting her nails. She sighs and then looks back at Mr. Compton.

"So?," Chloe asks. "Do we have a deal or not?"

The lawyers pull out the paperwork and lays on the table. Mr. Compton looks at it.

"Deal," Mr. Compton finally says. "Let me see the agreement."

One of the lawyers hands him the agreement. Mr. Compton starts to read it and then stops at looks at Chloe.

"Why are Beca and Trish's name on here?," he asks.

"We're partners in this transaction," Chloe said. "I'm providing the financial backing and they will be running the day to day operations."

Mr. Compton pushed the papers away from himself.

"No," he said. "No fucking way I'm selling to have that Mitchell bitch take it over."

Chloe smiled a small smile and looked at Mr. Compton.

"You said you loved your daughter," Chloe says. "If you do, then you will sell me, us, the studio."

"Bitch," Mr. Compton mutters pulling the papers back. "I need a pen."

The lawyer handed him a pen and showed him where he needed to sign.

"Just give my lawyer the loan info and we will be sure to take care of that," Chloe said.

Mr. Compton wrote down the information. Chloe and her lawyers got up.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Chloe said,

She leaned in to Mr. Compton and whispered in his ear, "If you ever bother Trish or Beca again, I'll see to you that you never see the light of day. I know the only way you got these loans was by fixing your books. I will have no problem bringing that to the attention of the proper authorities. Have a nice day."

The lawyers filed the paperwork to show transfer of ownership of the studio. Chloe contacted the various banks (three to be exact) that Mr. Compton had borrowed from and made arrangements to pay off the loans. The Beale name went a long way in making this all happen rather quickly.

By the time Chloe got int the car to be taken back to the beach house, she was one-third owner of a recording studio. She arrived around 9:30 and knocked on the door. Trish opened it up to find a smiling Chloe holding a bottle of champagne.

"It's done?," Trish asked.

"It's done," Chloe said with a smile.

Trish squealed and hugged Chloe. She ushered her into the living room where she found Stacie, Aubrey, and Beca sitting and chatting.

"Chloe," Aubrey squealed, getting up to hug the redhead.

"Wow," Chloe said. "I was only gone a day."

"I know," Aubrey told her. "But this one here has been a bear since you left."

"Hey," Beca exclaimed.

"She's not lying," Trish told her with a laugh.

"Well, I have some great news," Chloe said.

Chloe and Trish went into the kitchen and came back out with glasses. They set the glasses on the coffee table and Chloe popped the cork on the champagne and started filling them. Chloe and Trish handed a glass to the others and Chloe raised hers.

"Here's to the newest owners of Compton, soon to be renamed, recording studios," Chloe said and tapped her glass against Trish's.

Trish and Chloe both took a sip of their champagne. Chloe looked at Stacie, Aubrey, and Beca, who just stood there, with their glasses in hand, staring at her.

"What?," Chloe asked.

"New owners?," Stacie asked.

"Of Compton Recording Studios?," Aubrey added.

"Yep," Trish said. "Chloe, Beca and I are now the owners of my dad's studio."

"Your company bought the studio?," Beca asked.

"Not the company," Chloe said. "Me. And Trish. It's a sound investment and I needed to pad my portfolio."

"I have no idea what those words mean," Beca said.

"So," Stacie says. "If you and Trish bought it, how is Beca an owner?"

"Well," Trish said. "We made Beca part owner because she is going to run it."

"I don't know what to say," Beca says.

"Say 'thank you'," Trish says. "And say you'll do it."

"Hell yeah, I'll do it," Beca said with a grin, downing her champagne.

Beca pulled Trish in a hug, kissed her on the cheek, and said thank you. Trish pulled out of the hug and nodded her head toward Chloe, who is now sitting on the sofa pouring more champagne.

"She's the one who came up with the idea," Trish whispered to Beca.

Beca goes over and sits next to Chloe.

"Thank you, Chlo," Beca said. "This means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Becs," Chloe said.

Beca hugged Chloe and pulled back. The two sat there staring at each other.

"God," Trish said shaking her head. "You two are ridiculous. Just kiss already."


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, guys and gals. Sorry about the posting and posting again of the last chapter. I had a couple of errors I fixed (thank you, Electronis Zappa) and was trying to replace/update and posted new instead. Sorry about the confusion.**

 **A/N: There will be some slight time jumps coming up, so fasten your seat belts.**

* * *

 _"God," Trish said shaking her head. "You two are ridiculous. Just kiss already."_

Beca's faced turned red and Chloe looked down at her champagne glass.

"Come on," Trish said. "I'm giving you permission. Just do it already."

"Yeah, Beca," Stacie said. "The sexual tension is worse than when we were at Barden. You know, when you two were dating and hadn't done the nasty yet."

"Oh, my God," Beca said.

Trish and Aubrey both laughed at the looks on Beca and Chloe's faces.

"The moment has passed," Chloe said gulping down the rest of her champagne.

Chloe looked at Beca and found Beca looking at her. The two started laughing and the others joined in. When they all finally calmed down, they decided it was getting late and they all headed to bed.

The next morning, Beca woke up sore. She removed the bandage to check her stitches and noticed how bruised her cheek was. She took a shower and cleaned the cut. She put the medicine the doctor had give her on and put a clean bandage over it. She got dressed and headed downstairs.

Trish and Chloe were already up and sitting at the counter drinking coffee.

"Hey, Beca," Trish said. "Chloe and I were just talking about what to rename the studio."

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I think the name should represent all of us somehow."

Beca poured herself a cup of coffee and thought of what they could name it.

"How about 'Badass Records'?," Beca said.

Trish and Chloe looked at each and then back at Beca, nodding their heads.

"Or, how about, 'Triple Badass Records'?," Chloe said.

"I like it, Chlo," Trish said. "Oh, my gosh. We have a name already. We need to come up with a design for the logo."

"I'm good with 'Triple Badass Records'," Beca said. "But, you two get to figure out the logo. That's not my forte."

"Who's not your forte?," Stacie asked as she and Aubrey walked into the kitchen.

"We've decided on a name for the studio," Chloe said. "Now we have to figure out a new logo."

"What's the name?," Aubrey asked.

"Triple Badass Records," Trish said.

"Let me guess," Aubrey said. "Beca came up with that name."

"And, Chloe," Beca said. "But, we're going to we named it after me so when people say 'aww, isn't that cute?', I can say, "not cute, badass'."

Stacie and Beca laughed hard. The other girls just shook their heads at them.

"Oh, come on," Stacie said trying to calm herself down. "You have to admit, that was pretty clever."

"No, we don't," Trish says.

Beca put her hand up and Stacie high-fived her.

"We're dealing with children," Aubrey said shaking her head and smiling.

"I've got an idea," Chloe said. "What if the logo was a leather jacket with 'Triple Badass Records' written on the back. We could get some actual leather jackets and have some printed up. We can wear them when we do promotional tours or just at concerts featuring any of the artists that we produced."

"You're really getting into this," Trish said.

"I haven't been this excited about anything in a long time," Chloe admitted. "This is something that's mine, not the company's. I want to be involved in it one hundred percent."

"How about we get leather jackets made up with the logo," Trish said. "And then take a picture with the three of us wearing them. We can be standing with our backs to the camera, looking over our shoulder. We can even be wearing black skinny jeans and combat boots to look really badass, triple badass."

"I'm loving that idea," Stacie said. "You can have Chloe in the middle since she has red hair and you two are brunette. That would be so cool. Sorry, so badass!"

"And Triple Badass Records should be in pink," Chloe said.

"No," Beca said. "No way! Not pink."

"Beca," Chloe said. "It would represent the three women who are in a position that is usually held by men."

"I kind of agree with Chloe," Trish said. "And, the pink will really stand out on the black leather."

"Plus," Chloe said. "You told us to figure out the logo. So, it's two against one. Majority rules."

"Shit," Beca said.

Trish smiled and said, "I know someone who does graphics on tees. I'll give them a call and see if they can do something for us on leather."

"I can't believe how well this is all coming together," Chloe said.

 _ **One Month Later**_

"That's not your problem, dad," Chloe said into the phone. "The LA office is up and running at full strength. Everyone is totally invested in keeping the company running as smoothly as it did when we were in Tampa."

 _"I hear you're not fully invested in the running of the company like you used to be," Mr. Beale said. "I heard that you invested in some recording studio and have been spending a lot of time with that. What happened to the company woman I trained you to be?"_

"Get over it, dad," Chloe said. "We continue to show profits in every department of the company. How I choose to run the company and what I do in my personal life is not your concern. I don't need to explain anything to you. Bye."

Chloe hung up the phone and ignored it when it immediately started ringing. She thought when she and the company headquarters moved to LA she wouldn't have to deal with her father as much. She was wrong.

Chloe ran her fingers through her hair. Her phone pinged and she looked at it, expecting to see a text from her father. Instead, it was from Beca.

 _Beca: Hey! Are we still on for dinner tonight?_

 _Chloe: Yep. I'll see you guys at 6:30 at Bestia._

 _Beca: Great. Can't wait to see you. We have a surprise for you._

Friday night dinner with Beca and Trish. Her partners in the recording studio, her best friends, her heartbreak. She sighed and felt guilty every time she thought about them. Trish really was becoming one of her best friends. Chloe had told Beca she'd wait however long it took for them to be together. It's just seeing Beca and Trish be all coupley when they went out, was starting to get to her. She knew it was all a show, but it didn't make it hurt any less. She was actually starting to regret that she didn't kiss Beca last month. Hell, Trish gave them her blessing. But, then again, if she had let it happen, she would have wanted it to keep happening and she wasn't going to be that person, no matter how much it hurt.

At the end of the day, Chloe gathered her things and headed down to the lobby. She said good night to the receptionist and guards as she exited the building. Harry, her driver, was standing there holding the car door for her. She walked straight to the car and got in. Harry drove expertly through the LA traffic and she arrived at _Bestia_ , Trish's favorite Italian restaurant, at 6:20. She walked in and the hostess led her to their table. As she approached she realized the Trish and Beca were not alone.

"Aubrey!," Chloe yelled and ran to the blonde engulfing her in a hug. "I didn't know you were going to be here. You must be the surprise Beca mentioned."

"What am I, chopped liver?," Stacie said with a grin.

"Sorry," Chloe said giving the tall brunette a hug. "I didn't even know you were in town."

Chloe gave a quick hug to Trish and Beca before she sat down.

"I just got in last night," Stacie said. "When Beca found out they invited us to join you for dinner."

"Well," Chloe said with a smile. "It's a nice surprise."

The waiter came by and took their drink orders. They all started looking at the menu, talking about what they thought looked good. Everyone had decided and when the waiter brought their drinks, they placed their food order.

"I'm glad we're all her together," Trish said. "We're all very excited about the reopening of the studio. We've been hard at work remodeling, and reorganizing the staff."

"What that means is," Beca said with a smirk. "We fired everyone that was loyal to her father and hired mostly new people."

"Right," Trish said turning to Aubrey. "We're having a party to celebrate at our house a week from tomorrow. Plenty of food, booze, and celebrities. We want you and Stacie to be there. Now, I know you were planning to head back to Chicago but we were hoping you'd put it off until after the party. And, Stacie, we'll pay to fly you out here and back so you can attend. What do you say?"

Beca, Chloe, and Trish looked expectantly at Aubrey and Stacie. Aubrey leaned into Stacie and whispered something in her ear. Stacie laughed and whispered something back.

"Well?," Beca asked.

"Well," Aubrey said. "You don't have to pay for Stacie to fly back here. She's here to stay. With me."

The three women looked at Aubrey and then at each other.

"Wait. What?," Chloe said. "Are you saying you're not going back to Chicago?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Aubrey said with a grin. "My dad is opening an office here in LA and I'm going to run it."

Chloe squealed and jumped up and hugged Aubrey.

"And," Stacie said. "Since Aubrey asked me to marry her, I'm moving here."

Chloe and Trish both squealed and were up hugging Aubrey and Stacie.

"Dude," Beca said to Aubrey. "How did I not know about all this?"

"The new office wasn't actually a done deal until this morning," Aubrey said. "My father called me and told me they found a location and we can be in it in two weeks. I'll be staying here to run the office. And, I asked Stacie to marry me the night before she left after our little mini-vacation at your beach house."

Chloe smiled and hugged and congratulated her two good friends. She sat down and watched as Beca and Trish congratulated them as well. Chloe's smile stayed in place even as she thought about how she was going from being the third wheel with Beca and Trish to a fifth wheel when you added Aubrey and Stacie to the equation. Maybe Aubrey and Stacie being in LA will be distraction from Trish and Beca. She could only hope.

Beca orders a bottle of champagne to toast the engagement. The champagne is poured and congratulations start all over again. The champagne sits like lead in Chloe's stomach and her nerves are getting to her.

"Excuse me," Chloe said standing up. "I need to go to the restroom."

"Want me to go with you?," Aubrey asked.

"No," Chloe said. "I'm fine."

Chloe makes her way to the bathroom. She enters and stands at the sink looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"I thought buying the studio would be so fulfilling," Chloe thought as she stood there. "But, I still have to run my company and haven't been involved in the studio as much as I'd hoped. Trish and Beca seem to be getting even closer while Beca and I seem to be drifting apart. We haven't had time to spend together since the beach house. I don't know if I can keep doing this."

Chloe leans her head against the cool mirror and sighs. She jerks back when she hears someone enter. She looks over and sees Beca at the door.

"Are you okay?," Beca asked letting the door close as she walks over to Chloe.

"No, yes, I don't know," Chloe said. "I'm just, I don't know."

"You looked deep in thought when I came in," Beca said. "Care to share."

Beca is now standing next to Chloe at the sink.

"It's silly," Chloe said.

"Tell me anyway," Beca said.

"I feel like we're losing the connection we just got back," Chloe said quietly. "I feel like, no matter what happens with Trish, we won't be together."

Chloe wipes a tear from her cheek. Beca reaches for her and pulls her into a hug.

"I love you, Chloe," Beca said quietly in Chloe's ear. "I'm sorry we haven't had time to really spend together the past few weeks. It's just with you working and all of us trying to revamp the studio, there's no time for just us."

"I know," Chloe said her voice muffled. "I told you it was silly."

"It's not silly," Beca said. "It's just a lot to take in right now. How about this? You and I are going to hang out tomorrow, just the two of us. I'll come to yours and we'll order pizza and watch movies. We can do whatever you want."

"What about Trish?," Chloe asked pulling out of the hug.

"She'll figure out something to do," Beca said with a grin.

"That's not what I meant," Chloe laughed and slapped Beca on the arm. "Is it okay for her to be left alone?"

"She'll be fine," Beca said. "We have a cook and a housekeeper now, so she won't be alone."

Chloe looks at Beca. Beca looks at Chloe. If asked later, neither could tell you who leaned in first. But, the next thing they knew they were kissing. It was tentative at first, but then all the pent up frustration of the past five years was put into the kiss and it became heated. Beca pulled Chloe closer and Chloe melted into her.

"About fucking time," Trish said causing the couple to jump apart.

Chloe's face turned bright red. Beca let out a laugh.

"Oh, my God," Chloe said embarrassed by what just happened. "I'm so, so sorry, Trish. That shouldn't have happened."

Chloe looked down at the ground, wiping a tear from her face, with her arms crossed in front of her.

"Chloe," Trish said. "Please look at me."

Chloe lifted her head.

"Don't apologize," Trish told her. "Beca and I have talked about this. I know how much Beca loves you and how much you love Beca. I would never deny you guys your happiness. I'm not heartless. I really want to see you guys happy and together while I'm still alive."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Chloe said a little confused. She looked at Beca. "I thought you didn't want to be a cheater? That's why we agreed we wouldn't do anything while you were married to Trish. This is just becoming too much."

Before Beca could respond, the door opened and two women walked into the restroom.

"We can talk it about later," Beca said. "Let's get back to the table. Aubrey and Stacie are probably wondering where we are."

The three girls go back to the table. Chloe is stuck inside her own head and is having confusing thoughts. Trish's reaction to finding her and Beca kissing was to give them permission to be together while she and Beca were still married? Why would she do that? She said it was because she wanted to see us happy. Would Beca and I being together, be considered fulfilling Trish's dying wish? If so, could she live with herself if she let Beca cheat on Trish with her? She knows the marriage isn't what would be called a 'real marriage,' but it's still a marriage.

"I''ve got a headache," Chloe said. "I think I'm going to head home."

"Do you still want to hang out tomorrow?," Beca asked.

"I'm not sure," Chloe said hesitantly. "I'll text you."

"Um, okay," Beca said.

"Good night, Chloe," Stacie said giving her a hug. "Hope you feel better."

"Take it easy," Aubrey said, also giving her a hug.

"I will," Chloe said as she starts walking away. "I'll talk to you all later."

"Is she okay?," Aubrey asks Beca.

"I don't know," Beca responds. "I think we may have pushed her too far tonight."

Beca and Trish tell Stacie and Aubrey about their conversation in the bathroom.

"I guess it's hard for Chloe to fathom that I really want to see her and Beca happy," Trish said. "And that it really doesn't bother me if they kiss and stuff."

"You got to admit," Stacie said. "It is a little weird that you gave Beca your permission to cheat on you. If the paparazzi or someone else finds out about it, it will not look good for Beca or Chloe. They both have their careers to think about."

"Plus," Aubrey said. "You all have the new studio to think about. If it gets out the Beca's cheating on you with Chloe, could affect your business."

"You're right," Trish said.

"I'll talk to Chloe tomorrow," Beca said. "Let her know that we will be together when the time is right. We'll just go back to the way things were and hopefully find more time to spend together as friends."

Chloe downs the last of her wine and puts the glass in the sink. She looks around and sees a numer of boxes that she still hasn't upacked. She is too tired to worry about it or to think anymore and decides to go to bed. She puts on her pajamas and brushes her teeth. She climbs into bed and pulls the covers up to her chin. As she falls asleep, the last thing she thinks about is the kiss she shared with Beca.

Chloe wakes up to a pounding headache. She gets up and takes a pain reliever and goes back to bed. She is woken up a little bit later by the pinging of her phone. She looks at it and sees that Beca has texted.

 _Beca: How's the headache?_

 _Chloe: Bad._

 _Beca: Feel up to talking?_

 _Chloe: No._

 _Beca: Okay. Text me later?_

Fifteen minutes later and Beca still hadn't received a response from Chloe.

"Shit, this is bad," Beca thinks.

Trish can tell Beca is in a funk. She's been hiding out in her in-home studio most of the day. Trish tries to cheer Beca up by having Mrs. Newman, their cook, bake up a batch of Beca's favorite chocolate chip cookies.

The cookies work for the most part. The smell of them baking brought her into the kitchen. Trish was sitting at the counter drinking a bottle of water when Beca walked in.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the smell," Trish said with a smile.

"I'm sorry," Beca said. "I feel bad and just want to make things right with Chloe and she's ignoring me. Walking away from her five years ago, no matter how right it seemed at the time, was the biggest mistake of my life. I can't lose her again."

"I know," Trish said. "Maybe you should just go over there. She'll have to talk to you if you're standing right in front of her."

"I don't know," Beca said. "I think I'll send her a text and tell her we'll go back to the way things were before we kissed."

Beca pulled out her phone and sent a text to Chloe. She and Trish ate cookies and talked about the party for the re-opening of their studio. Beca checked her phone. Chloe still hadn't texted her back.

Beca sighed and went back to her studio. Trish called Aubrey and asked if she and Stacie could come over. The couple arrived about twenty minutes later.

"I don't know what to do," Trish said. "Chloe isn't responding to any of Beca's texts. Beca is in a funk like I've never seen her before. I feel so guilty."

"I'll go talk to Chloe," Aubrey said. "She's truly come to care about you Trish and she wouldn't want to do anything that might hurt you. It's already eating her up that the only way she and Beca can be together, is when, um, if you. . .um, die."

"I think she's just a little overwhelmed right now," Stacie said. "She kisses Beca for the first time in over five years after promising she wouldn't do anything while you were married, and you act like it's no big deal. She considers kissing Beca as cheating. Her ex-husband cheated on her. It hurt her, even though she didn't love him and was ready to end the marriage as soon as she could. His cheating really bothered her."

"Hey," Beca says walking into the living room. "I didn't know you guys were coming over."

"Trish called," Aubrey said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Beca said.

Aubrey gets up and goes over to Beca. She pulls her into a hug.

"No, you're not," Aubrey says.

Aubrey and Stacie stay for a little while longer. When they leave they make their way to Chloe's. There is no answer when they knock on the door.

"She's probably thinks it's Beca out here," Aubrey said. "Let me text her and tell her that's it's us."

Aubrey sends the text.

 _Chloe: I'm not home. I'll be back tomorrow night._

 _Aubrey: Where are you?_

 _Chloe: I'll be back tomorrow night._

"Shit," Aubrey says. "She's gone and won't tell me where she is."

"I can't blame her," Stacie says. "Everything's got to be weighing heavy on her mind. Let's just let her be until tomorrow."

"You're right," Aubrey said.

Aubrey and Stacie had just settled in at the condo when Aubrey's phone rings. She checks the caller ID and sees it's Beca.

"Beca," Aubrey said as she answered. "Chloe wasn't-"

Aubrey's face pales.

"We're on our way," Aubrey says and hangs up the phone.

Aubrey grabs Stacie's hand and hurries out of the condo. Once in the car, Aubrey sends one more text to Chloe before she drives off.

 _Aubrey: Beca is taking Trish to the hospital._


	15. Chapter 15

_Aubrey: Beca is taking Trish to the hospital._

Aubrey and Stacie raced into the hospital emergency room to find Beca pacing back and forth.

"What happened?," Aubrey asked. "How's Trish?"

"Trish is fine," Beca said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What's going on, Beca?," Stacie asked.

"Trish got a call from the hospital," Beca said. "Asking her to come in immediately for a CT and possibly an MRI. The wouldn't tell her why and we freaked out a little. When we got here she was taken for the scan. They said it should take about half an hour and then a doctor would come get me."

"What do you think it all means?," Aubrey asked.

"I honestly have no idea," Beca said.

"Come on, Beca," Stacie said. "Just sit down. I'll go to the cafeteria and get us some coffee."

It was close to an hour later when a doctor finally came to the waiting room.

"Family for Mrs. Mitchell?," the doctor called out.

"I'm her wife," Beca said.

The doctor walked over to where Beca, Aubrey, and Stacie were standing.

"I'm Dr. Klein," the doctor said introducing himself. "I'd like to talk to you and your wife about her condition. Would you follow me, please?"

"Can they come?," Beca asked pointing to Aubrey and Stacie.

"I'm not sure that's wise," Dr. Klein said. "I need to protect the confidentiality of my patient"

"They are two of Trish's best friends," Beca told him. "They have been there since day one and I think they deserve to be there for whatever you're about to tell Trish. You can ask her if she has a problem with them being there."

"That's not necessary," Dr. Klein said. "They are welcome to come as well."

"Thank you," Aubrey and Stacie both say.

The three women followed Dr. Klein to Trish's room. Trish looked at them all, confused about what was happening.

"Hello, Mrs. Mitchell," Dr. Klein said. "I'm Dr. Klein and I need to talk to you about your test results."

"What going on, Dr. Klein?," Trish asked. "Is it worse than they thought?"

"Ladies," Dr. Klein says. "Before I can give you the test results I need to tell you a few things."

Just then a man in a suit entered the room and stood by Dr. Klein.

"This is Ben McNamara," Dr. Klein said introducing the man. "He's a lawyer and works for the hospital. He's going to talk to you first."

"Ladies," Ben said nodding at the women. "Mrs. Mitchell, I understand that you've been seeing Dr. Rosen here at this hospital."

"Yes," Trish said.

"He's the one who diagnosed your cancer?," Ben asked.

"Yes," Trish said "What's going on here?"

"Dr. Rosen is no longer affiliated with this hospital," Ben said. "Four days ago he was. . .let go."

"That's lawyer speak for fired," Aubrey interjects. "Why?"

"Why?," Ben asks.

"Why was her fired?," Aubrey asks.

Ben looks at Dr. Klein. He runs his hand through his hair and sighs.

"He was fired for gross negligence," Ben said. "It was brought to our attention that he had misdiagnosed several of his patients."

"That's why I'm here," Trish said quietly. "Because I was misdiagnosed?"

"Yes, that's why we asked you to come in," Dr. Klein said. "I looked over the test results and the tests the Dr. Rosen had done. You do have cancer, but I believe it's operable."

"Let me get this straight," Beca said through clenched teeth. "Dr. Rosen gave Trish a 5 month death sentence because he read some results wrong."

"We know an apology is not going to cut it," Dr. Klein said.

"You can bet your ass it's not," Beca told him.

"Beca," Trish said. "Let him finish."

"Fine," Beca said in a huff and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Did Dr. Rosen suggest surgery to remove some, or all of the cancer?," Dr. Klein asked.

"Surgery was mentioned," Beca said. "But he shot it down quickly. He said the mass was much too large to remove. He also said that if Trish went that route that there were so many complications that could arise that it would only shorten her life or she would die on the operating table."

"I was afraid of that," Dr. Klein sighed. "I believe we can surgically remove the tumors."

"Tumors?," Beca asked. "As in more than one? Dr. Rosen said it was one big mass and that's why he couldn't remove it."

"The scan we just took," Dr. Klein said. "I believe if Dr. Rosen had done this particular scan, he would have given you a different diagnosis. This scan shows that the mass is a bunch of tumors clumped together. I believe we can remove them. We won't know how much Trish will be affected until we get in there. Some of the tumors are blocking our view of some parts of the brain. We will only remove the tumors that we can get to easily. The others will remain and we will need to do an MRI to determine the best course of action. Which may include chemo and radiation therapy."

"So what would be her prognosis with the surgery?," Aubrey asked.

"Well," Dr. Klein said. "If we do the surgery, and barring no major surprises when we do the MRI, I'd say the prognosis is very good. You'll have a long road ahead of you, but you'll be fine."

"I can't believe this," Beca said. "They gave her less than 6 months to live and now you're saying it was all a mistake."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mitchell," Dr. Klein said. "I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but I am sorry. We are trying our best to make this right. I would like to schedule the surgery as soon as possible."

Trish starts to cry. Beca holds her and pats her on the back trying to comfort her. Trish finally settles down.

"How can I believe this is right," Trish said. "That surgery is the way to go?"

"If you'd like to get another opinion," Dr. Klein tells Trish. "That would be fine. I can give you the names of several renowned oncologists if you like. I just think you should make a decision quickly. The sooner we get in there, the sooner we can get a treatment plan in place."

"Beca?," Trish said. "What do you think?"

Beca looks at Dr. Klein and Ben McNamara.

"Could you guys give us a minute?," Beca asks.

Both men nod and leave the room.

"I think you should get another opinion," Beca said. "Although, I feel like surgery is the way to go. Dr. Klein sounds confident that the surgery will be a success."

"But," Trish said. "Dr. Rosen sounded pretty confident that it wouldn't work. He seemed sure that I only had 5 or 6 months left at most."

"Weren't you listening," Beca said. "Dr. Rosen is a quack. He screwed up your diagnosis. Dr. Klein is trying to make things right. He's giving you a chance you didn't have before."

"For what it's worth," Aubrey said. "I agree with Beca. It's a real shot Trish."

"Stacie?," Trish asked. "How about you?"

"I'm overwhelmed," Stacie replies. "I agree with Beca and Aubrey about Dr. Klein, but I also don't think it would hurt to get another opinion."

"Where's Chloe?," Trish asks.

"We don't know," Aubrey tells her. "She wasn't home when we went by and she texted and said she'd be home tomorrow night. I sent her a text letting her know that Beca was bringing you to the hospital. I haven't heard anything."

"I made her run, didn't I?," Trish asked with a catch in her voice.

"It wasn't all you," Beca said. "I played a really big part in the whole thing."

"Aubrey," Trish said. "Would you call her? Explain what's going on and that I'd really like it if she were here."

"I can do that," Aubrey said. "I'll go out to the waiting room and try and reach her."

Just then Aubrey's phone pings and she sees a message from Chloe.

"Chloe's here," Aubrey said. "She's in the waiting room. I'll get her."

"Thanks," Trish said.

Aubrey hurries out to the waiting room. Chloe hurries over as soon as she sees her.

"What happened?," Chloe asks. "Is Trish okay?"

"Trish is fine," Aubrey said. "Come with me."

Chloe follows Aubrey to Trish's room. Chloe gives Trish a hug.

"Are you okay?," Chloe asked.

"I'm fine," Trish said.

Between them, Trish and Beca filled Chloe in on what the doctor said.

"You're not dying?," Chloe asked. "Sorry, that was insensitive. I'm not sure I understand everything."

"Long story, short," Stacie said. "The first doctor fucked up. This new doctor, Dr. Klein, is going to fix that fuck up."

"Dr. Klein said I could get another opinion," Trish said. "He could refer us to several specialists if I want. What do you think, Chloe."

"Another opinion couldn't hurt," Chloe said.

"I'll ask Dr. Klein for the names and numbers of those specialists," Beca said.

Beca leaves the room. Chloe stands there feeling awkward. Aubrey senses that Chloe is uncomfortable and suggests that they go get some coffee when Beca gets back. Chloe nods in agreement and they all wait.

Beca comes back with a list of names. She hands the list to Trish.

"We're going to go get some coffee," Aubrey says. "Can we bring you something?"

"Just coffee," Beca said.

"I'm good," Trish said.

Aubrey, Chloe, and Stacie leave. They walk to the cafeteria in silence. They get coffee and have a seat.

"Are you okay, Chloe?," Aubrey asked. "I know a lot of stuff happened last night."

"I'm good," Chloe said. "Things just got a little too overwhelming and I needed to clear my head. Think about a few things."

"What 'things'?," Stacie asked.

"Me and Beca," Chloe said looking down at her coffee cup. "Beca and Trish. I thought I could just be around them, knowing nothing could happen between me and Beca, at least not now. But, just when I think I've gotten used to acting like Beca is just a friend, we kiss. And Trish is okay with it. And says Beca can cheat on her with me. I just, I don't know how to handle it."

"You don't have to explain yourself, Chlo," Stacie tells her. "I mean, it's a lot to deal with. You told Beca you'd wait for her, but, personally, I think you should try to move on from her. Wait, hear me out. If Trish gets this surgery and gets better, Beca will still be married to her. She won't walk away from Trish while she's going through the chemo or whatever else she'll have to go through. Beca's not that kind of person. There was an end in sight when the prognosis was grim, but with what's happening now, it could go on for quite a while. Are you willing to wait for Beca until Trish is better, no matter how long it takes, and Beca can walk away from her without feeling guilty?"

"Stace," Aubrey says.

"No, Brey," Chloe says. "Stacie is right. I know I told Beca I would wait for her, but I don't think I can be around the two of them while Beca continues to be with Trish until she's better. I need to start distancing myself from them or I'll end up with another broken heart. And I don't think I can recover from that again."

"What about Beca?," Aubrey asked. "Don't you think you walking away will devastate her?"

"She'll still have Trish," Chloe said. "I've seen how they are together, Brey. Beca loves Trish, and I think, it- it's developing into something more than just friends. I love her so much, Brey, but, I can't stick around and watch while she continues to fall in love with her wife. And, ou- out of love with me."

The three girls sit silently for a bit. Chloe sighs and stands up.

"I think I'm just gonna go," Chloe said. "Tell Trish I'll check on her later."

"Chloe," Aubrey said lightly grabbing her arm. "Don't do this."

"I'm sorry, Brey," Chloe said and slipped out of Aubrey's grasp. She says good-bye to Stacie and walks out of the cafeteria.

"What the hell, Stacie?," Aubrey says confronting her fiance. "Why did you have to put that in her head?"

"I was just telling her the truth," Stacie said. "And, I think she's right. I think Beca's feelings for Trish are a lot stronger the she knows."

"You're both wrong," Aubrey said. "You'll see."

Aubrey gets up and stalks out of the cafeteria, leaving Stacie to hurry and catch up with her. She grabs Aubrey's arm and stops her.

"You forgot Beca's coffee," Stacie said.

Stacie kept a hold on Aubrey's arm and walked her back into the cafeteria. They get Beca's coffee and head back to Trish's room.

"Thank you, doctor," Beca said into her phone. "We'll wait for your call."

"Well?," Trish asked.

"He got the tests and results from Dr. Klein," Beca said. "He's going to review everything and get back to us. So, now, we just wait."

"Was that one of the doctor's for the second opinion?," Aubrey asked.

"Yes," Beca said. "Actually, one of three that Dr. Klein sent Trish's records to. They all promised to review everything and get back to us within 24 hours."

"Dr. Klein already scheduled an OR," Trish said. "For Tuesday morning. He wanted to make sure that if I decide on the surgery, he could do it as soon as possible."

"Are you going to sue the hospital?," Stacie asked.

"What?," Trish said.

"A doctor," Stacie said. "Who worked on their staff, misdiagnosed you, and apparently other patients. That sounds like something they should be sued for."

"I don't know," Trish said. "I don't think we should hold the entire hospital responsible. I mean, it was Dr. Rosen who made the diagnosis, but Dr. Klein is doing everything to make it right."

"I agree," Beca said. "And, since they already fired Dr. Rosen, I think we're just going to deal with Trish's prognosis and recovery."

"Where's Chloe?," Trish asked realizing the redhead wasn't there.

Aubrey looks at Stacie and Stacie looks back at her.

"She, um," Aubrey says. "She left."

"Is she coming back?," Beca asked.

"I- I," Aubrey stammers. "I don't know."

"She did say she'd check on you later, Trish," Stacie added.

Beca sat down in the chair by Trish's bed. She put her elbows on her knees and her head in her hand.

"She's really not coming back," Beca said. "Is she?"

"She'll be back to check on Trish," Stacie said. "After that, probably not."

"Stacie," Aubrey said trying to get Stacie to be quiet.

"No, Brey," Stacie said. "They need to hear this."

"But, they shouldn't be hearing it from you," Aubrey says her voice rising.

"Somebody needs to tell them," Stacie says angrily. "And we both know Chloe won't say anything."

Aubrey glares at Stacie and Stacie glares back at her.

"Guys," Beca said getting up and standing the between the two. "Stop. Okay? Just stop."

Aubrey looks away and Stacie stares at the ground.

"One of you needs to tell us what's going on with Chloe," Trish said.

Aubrey looks at Stacie and shakes her head. Stacie sighs and runs a hand through her hair.

"I think," Stacie says. "You really need to talk to Chloe."

After Chloe left Aubrey and Stacie, she sat in her car in the hospital parking lot. She just sat there, numb. Not knowing how she was going to cope with whatever her final decision regarding Beca was going to be. If she stuck around, she knew she would be putting off the inevitable heartbreak she was going to suffer when Beca realized she was in love with Trish. And, since they were already married, Chloe knew that Beca would stay with Trish and have a long and loving marriage with her. If Chloe left now, she would be heartbroken but she could work to get over it and, maybe one day in the future, the far, far future, she could be friends with Trish and Beca again. Either way, she was in for a world of hurt.

Chloe started the car and drove home. She went in and, wanting to do something, started unpacking some of the boxes that were still sitting around the house. She worked for a few hours until she realized how late it was. She decided to call it a night and went to bed. She was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.

"You guys should go home," Trish said. "We won't know anything until later tomorrow so there's no reason to just sit around here. It's late. Go home and get some rest. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Aubrey and Stacie gathered their things. They watched as Beca went over to Trish and gave her a hug. She kissed Trish's cheek and Stacie looked at Aubrey.

"That doesn't mean anything," Aubrey whispered as she brushed past Stacie and out the door.

Stacie waited for Beca and walked out with her.

"Are you in love with Trish?," Stacie asked.

"What?," Beca said stopping to look at Stacie. "Why would you ask that?"

"You've been acting like you are," Stacie said. "Chloe noticed it to."

"Is that why Chloe left?," Beca asked. "Because she thinks I'm in love with Trish?"

"Yes," Stacie said after a moment.

"I love Trish," Beca said. "But, I'm not in love with her. I'm in love with Chloe. How could she think I'd do that."

"She sees you acting differently with Trish," Stacie said. "She feels like a third wheel whenever you three are together, instead of like three friends hanging out. And, with the change in Trish's prognosis, she knows that you wouldn't leave Trish, even for her."

"That's so not true," Beca said. "We do those things for the paparazzi when we're out. Chloe knows it's all for show."

"Is it?," Stacie said. "What about that moment you had with Trish just now. The hug, the kiss on the cheek that lasted longer than a friendly kiss should."

"I always. That wasn't," Beca stammers. "It's not-".

"If you can't figure out what it means," Stacie said. "Imagine it from Chloe's point of view."

Stacie turned and continued to walk to meet up with Aubrey. Beca just stood there, hands on top of her head, looking up at the night sky like she could find answers to the questions that were going around in her head.

She turned when she heard Aubrey yell out "Good night, Beca" as she drove past. She waved and turned and made her way back into the hospital. She needed to talk to Trish.

Trish was sleeping when Beca got back to her room. Beca put two chairs together, facing each other, to use as a bed. She was uncomfortable but managed to finally find a decent enough position to sleep in.

Aubrey and Stacie were quiet for most of the ride home.

"What did you say to Beca back there?," Aubrey asked, finally breaking the silence.

Stacie repeated by her conversation with Beca. Aubrey let out a sigh when Stacie finished.

"This whole situation is fucked up," Aubrey said.

Stacie grabbed Aubrey's hand and just held it all the way home. Nothing more was said between the two as they entered the condo and went straight to bed. The two laid in silence as they thought about their three friends and the mess they were in. Aubrey turned on her side and snuggled next to Stacie. She burrowed her her head in Stacie's neck and put her arm over Stacie's waist. Stacie put her arm around Aubrey's shoulder and placed her hand on her hip.

"I love you," Aubrey said, placing a kiss on Stacie's neck.

"I love you, too," Stacie said.

The two girls fell asleep in each other's arms.

Chloe woke after a somewhat restful night. She made coffee and grabbed a quick breakfast. She decided she would finish unpacking the rest of the boxes from her move.

Stacie woke Aubrey up with some well placed kisses and they made love. They laid in bed holding each other, lost in the closeness. It was past noon before they decided to get up and go visit Trish.

Beca woke up and removed the blanket that was over her.

"Where did that come from," she thought.

Beca stretched and looked over at Trish. Trish was sitting up in bed smiling at her.

"Good morning, sunshine," Trish said with a laugh.

"Mornin'," Beca said. "Where'd this blanket come from?"

"One of the nurses," Trish said. "She came in last night to check on me and you looked cold."

"Remind me to thank her when you see her," Beca said.

"Will do," Trish said.

Beca spent the next few hours trying to distract Trish from the waiting. She also wanted to talk to Trish about Chloe but decided to wait until they heard from the other doctors.

Chloe finished unpacking and grabbed a quick salad for lunch. She debated with herself on where she should go visit Trish at the hospital. She finally decided to go so she got dressed and hopped in her car.

Just after 1:00 pm, Beca's phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket. The caller ID showed an unknown number. Beca answered.

"Hello," Beca said.

 _"Mrs. Mitchell?," the voice said. "This is Dr. Talbot. We spoke yesterday about your wife Trish."_

"Yes, of course, Dr. Talbot," Beca said. "Hold on for a second. I'm going to put you on speaker so Trish can hear you."

Beca tells Trish it's Dr. Talbot and puts the call on speaker.

"Go ahead, Dr. Talbot," Beca said.

 _"I've reviewed the records Dr. Klein sent me," Dr. Talbot said. "I also had a few of my colleagues take a look. We all agree with Dr. Klein's recommendation. We believe surgery is Mrs. Mitchell's, Trish's, best option. With it, we believe she can live a long and productive life."_

"Oh, my God," Trish said, a smile spreading across her face.

"That's the best news you could give us," Beca said smiling.

 _"Please have Dr. Klein keep us informed of your case," Dr. Talbot said. "I like to know how stories like this one turn out."_

"Will do, Doc," Beca said.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Talbot," Trish said.

 _"You're welcome," Dr. Talbot said. "And good luck."_

Beca hung up the phone and grabbed Trish in a hug. Chloe met Aubrey and Stacie as they were coming into the hospital.

"I didn't think we'd see you today," Aubrey told Chloe, giving her a quick hug.

"I told you I'd be back to check on Trish," Chloe said. "Plus, I haven't decided what I'm going to do about the whole situation."

"Well," Stacie said grabbing Chloe in a hug. "I'm glad to see you."

Chloe laughed and they all walked to Trish's room together.

"Beca," Trish said. "I need to talk to you."

Beca sat on Trish's bed and faced her.

"What's up?," Beca asked.

Trish took Beca's hands.

The door to Trish's room was open so Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie walked in. They stopped and stood in shock when they heard the words that were coming out of Trish's mouth.

* * *

 **Curious to know what you think Trish said to Beca. I promise to have an update posted within 48 hours so you'll know soon. Thanks for reading, awesome nerds!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for the reviews. I love you awesome nerds. Now, let's see what Trish has to say to Beca.**

* * *

 _"Beca," Trish said. "I need to talk to you."_

 _Beca sat on Trish's bed and faced her._

 _"What's up?," Beca asked._

 _Trish took Beca's hands._

 _The door to Trish's room was open so Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie walked in. They stopped and stood in shock when they heard the words that were coming out of Trish's mouth._

"Beca," Trish said bringing Beca's hands up to her mouth and kissing them softly. "I love you so, so much. Being your wife has been wonderful."

Chloe puts her hand to her mouth and starts to turn away. Stacie has her hands on her shoulders and holds her in place.

"Wait," Stacie whispers.

"I know that we started this marriage," Trish said. "With it ending with me succumbing to the cancer. But now, things have changed. I just want you to know that you are the sweetest, kindest person I have ever known. And, I want a divorce."

Beca's eyes widen.

"What?," Beca said.

"We won't do it right away," Trish said. "We'll wait until after my surgery and then we'll announce our separation. I'll take full responsibility by saying, that I, um, hurried into the marriage because I was afraid of dealing with the cancer on my own. That way, your career won't suffer, the business won't suffer, and Chloe over there can stop suffering."

Trish was smiling when she looked over at Chloe. Chloe gave Trish a small smile. Tears were streaming down her face. Stacie squeezed Chloe's shoulders.

"See," Stacie said. "Totally worth waiting for."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?," Beca said.

"Absolutely," Trish said. "I'm going to be better and I don't want to miss out on meeting my one true love because I'm married to you."

Beca smiled and chuckled.

"Okay, then," Beca said. "We're getting a divorce."

Beca leaned over and gave Trish a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you," Beca said.

Time went by fast and it was already Tuesday. Beca was at the hospital early so she could see Trish before she was taken for her surgery. The surgery was going to take 4-6 hours according to Dr. Klein. Stacie came to the hospital to wait with Beca. Chloe and Aubrey were keeping their phones on them while working so they could be reached if needed.

Beca naps while waiting. Stacie had brought some magazines and a book to help kill time. Chloe kept checking her phone. She had a few meetings that morning but made sure that her afternoon was cleared so she could go to the hospital. Aubrey spent the morning in her office going through some paperwork. It was close to 2:00 when she decided to call Chloe.

"Have you heard anything?," Aubrey asked when Chloe answered.

"No," Chloe said. "The surgery should be just about over."

"I can't stand not being there," Aubrey said. "I'm going to leave and go up to the hospital."

"Can you swing by and get me?," Chloe said.

"I'll be there in 20," Aubrey said and hung up her phone.

Chloe told her Assistant she was leaving and gathered her purse and jacket. She went downstairs and waited by the curb for Aubrey. Aubrey picked her up and they headed to the hospital.

"Any news yet?," Aubrey asked when she saw Beca and Stacie.

"Nothing yet," Stacie answered.

"How are you holding up?," Chloe asked Beca as she sat next to her.

"I'm good," Beca said. "I'm both scared and excited at the same time."

Chloe took Beca's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Beca gave her a small smile.

The four friends sat quietly and waited for news. Stacie and Aubrey went to the cafeteria to get everyone coffee. It was close to 4:00 when Dr. Klein came out to find Beca.

"How'd it go?," Beca asked.

"A lot better than I expected," Dr. Klein told the girls. "We think we got it all. Unbelievable, I know, but when we got in there, we starting removing the tumors one by one. There were no surprises when we got the areas of the brain we couldn't see on the scans. She's going to be fine."

"Thank you so much, doctor," Beca said. "Can we see Trish?"

"She'll be in recovery for the night," Dr. Klein said. "You can see her tomorrow morning when we put her back in her room. Go home. Get some rest. All of you."

"Thanks again, doctor," Beca said.

Dr. Klein patted Beca on her shoulder and left the girls. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Wow," Stacie said. "Trish is going to be so relieved."

The girls decide to follow Dr. Klein's advice and go home.

"Hey," Beca said. "I'm kind of starving. Why don't you all come to mine and I'll call Mrs. Newman and have her fix us something."

"I'm in," Chloe said. "I've been too nervous to eat anything today. Now that I know that the surgery went well, I'm starving."

"We can do dinner," Aubrey says after getting a nod from Stacie. "We'll leave Stacie's car here and pick it up tomorrow. Chloe, why don't you ride with Beca."

"Um, okay," Chloe said looking at Beca. "If that's okay with Beca."

"It's more than okay with me," Beca said.

The girls head out of the hospital to be met with the paparazzi.

"Beca, how's Trish?"

"Beca, look over here."

"Beca, are you cheating on Trish?"

Beca stops and looks to see who asked that question. The other girls stop as well. Aubrey puts a hand on Beca's shoulder. Beca looks at the smirk on the guy's face.

"What's your name and who are you affiliated with?," Beca asked the guy.

The guy smiled thinking he had just scored an exclusive with Beca Mitchell.

"The name's Brian Stephens," the guy said smirking at the other press standing around watching the exchange. "LA Daily News."

"Thank you, Brian," Beca said and steps back to address all the press. "I just want to thank our fans and let everyone know that Trish's surgery went well. We are very optimistic that she will make a full recovery. And, Brian?"

"Yeah?," Brian said with a wide smile.

"To answer your question," Beca said. "No, I'm not cheating on Trish. And for asking that dumbass question, you and your paper have just lost all press privileges to my studio opening and any other press event we may be involved in."

Beca watched Brian's face pale with the realization that he had messed up.

"Next time, pick your questions carefully," Beca said. "Have a nice day!"

The girls could hear some of the press people chuckling as Beca walked away. Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie were all smiling as they followed Beca.

"Can she do that?," Chloe asked Aubrey.

"I think she just did," Aubrey said.

The girls arrive at Beca's house. Mrs. Newman was just putting the finishing touches on a grilled chicken caesar salad when they walked in.

"I hope this is okay," Mrs. Newman said to the girls. "I knew you'd be hungry so I wanted to put together something quick."

"This is perfect, Mrs. Newman," Beca said.

The girls sit down to eat.

"Do you want me to meet you at the hospital in the morning?," Stacie asked Beca breaking the silence that had enveloped the dinner table. "Brey can drop me off on her way to the office."

"Yes, please," Beca said. "From what they told us before the surgery, they'll probably keep Trish under for 2-3 days before they bring her out. They'll want the swelling to go down so they can do another scan to make sure they really got everything."

"I'll take Friday off so I can be there when they wake her up," Chloe said.

"Me, too," Aubrey said.

"Thanks guys," Beca said. "I really appreciate that. If the doctor tells me anything different I'll let you know. I really would like for all of us to be there when she wakes up."

"Sounds good," Aubrey says.

They finish dinner and Beca asks if they can stick around for a while to talk about the launch party for the studio.

"Things happened so fast with Trish and the surgery," Beca said. "There wasn't time to cancel everything."

"Trish wouldn't want you to cancel," Chloe said. "Plus, we'll all be there, so don't worry."

"We have the jackets to wear," Stacie said. "Anything special we should wear with it?"

"Well," Beca said. "Chloe and I have agreed to wear the same outfit we wore for the photo. Black skinny jeans, white v-neck tee, and black and white sk8-hi vans. You guys can wear whatever you want."

"How about we wear the same," Stacie said. "Only we'll wear a pink v-neck tee."

"That will look sharp," Chloe said.

"Sounds good," Beca said. "I rented a limo for the night. So, come here to get ready since we'll need to be there about an hour before it starts. You can all plan to spend the night here, too."

"What else is planned for the night?," Aubrey asked.

"We will have one or two of our artists perform," Beca said. "There will of course be booze. But, there will also be lots of food going around so hopefully we won't have too many drunks to deal with."

"Beca's going to play some of her mixes in between the acts," Chloe said. "She has a few surprises for us."

"Do tell," Stacie said.

"Nope," Beca said. "You'll have to wait until Saturday night, just like everyone else."

"She won't tell me either," Chloe said.

"We'll be there to help with anything you need," Aubrey said. "I'm really excited about this. My first real LA music party. Ooooo, what celebrities are coming?"

"Not telling," Beca said.

Aubrey looked questioningly at Chloe.

"I can't tell you either," Chloe said. "Beca will kill me."

"You guys are no fun," Aubrey said with a pout.

Chloe and Beca both laughed at Aubrey's pouty face.

"I think it's time for us to go home," Stacie says with a laugh. "Chloe, can we give you a ride?"

"Actually," Beca said. "I'll make sure she gets home. We still have a few things to discuss about the studio."

"Okay," Stacie said. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Aubrey and Stacie give Beca and Chloe hugs before they leave.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Stacie whispers to Chloe when she hugs her.

Chloe turns pink and slaps Stacie on the arm.

"Good night," Beca tells them. "Text me when you get home."

"We will," Aubrey says as they get into her car.

Beca closes the door and walks with Chloe back into the living room. They sit down and talk about the studio and the day to day operations.

"Who are you going to have looking after things while you're with Trish?," Chloe asked.

"I'm thinking of having CR do it," Beca said. "I trust her and she knows what she's doing."

"I can't believe CR lives out here now," Chloe said. "I thought for sure she and her wife would never leave Maine."

"I made her an offer she couldn't refuse," Beca said.

"Did Miss 'I hate movies', just quote 'The Godfather' to me?," Chloe asked with a grin.

"Don't have to see it," Beca said. "To know the good lines."

They spent another few minutes talking about the studio when Chloe found herself trying to hold back a yawn.

"It's getting late," Chloe said. "I'll call an Uber to take me home."

"No," Beca said quickly. "I was actually hoping I could take you home so you could pack a bag with whatever you need for the next few days. And, um, then, you could maybe, if you want to, but it's cool if you don't."

Chloe just looked at Beca.

"I have no idea what you just said," Chloe told her.

Beca sighs and tries again.

"I was hoping you could spend the next few nights here," Beca said. "I'm not used to being here alone and it would be nice to have some company. We don't have to sleep in the same bed or anything. I just, I just want you to be here."

"I can do that," Chloe said. "Let's go. I'll need to have some time to pack so we it won't be too late when we get back here."

Beca smiles and heads for the door. She grabs her keys and opens the door for Chloe. They are back at Beca's in a about 90 minutes. Beca shows Chloe to the extra guest room and Chloe unpacks her things and puts them away. She puts on her pajamas and goes looking for Beca. She finds her sitting outside on the patio and goes out to join her. She sits in a chair next to Beca.

"It's so peaceful here," Beca said. "Hard to believe that we are like 10 minutes from downtown LA."

Chloe and Beca sit quietly for a few minutes.

"I just came out to say good night," Chloe said getting up.

"I can drop you off at your office in the morning before I go to the hospital," Beca said.

"That would be nice," Chloe told her. "I'll see you in the morning."

Chloe leaves Beca on the patio and heads for her room. She brushes her teeth and crawls into bed.

Wednesday and Thursday go by quickly. Beca drops Chloe at her office and meets Stacie at the hospital and the two sit with Trish for an hour or so. Beca then goes to the studio to take care of a few things with CR. She then returns to the hospital in the evening to sit with Chloe and Aubrey while they visit Trish. On Thursday morning, Dr. Klein tells Beca and Stacie they will attempt to wake Trish up the next morning around 11:00. Beca tells Aubrey and Chloe that evening and they all plan to be at the hospital by 10:30 the next morning.

That night Chloe wakes up to music coming from downstairs. She gets up and finds Beca pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room while music fills the air around her.

"Oh," Beca said turning off the music. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you could hear that."

"It's okay," Chloe says with a yawn. "You should get to bed. It's late."

"I'm too stressed to sleep," Beca says.

"Come on," Chloe says taking Beca's hand. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

Beca allows Chloe to lead her to her room. Beca climbs in and puts the covers over her. Chloe lies on top of the covers next to her. Neither of them say a word. Chloe sighs.

"Okay, weirdo," Beca says. "Get under the covers so we can cuddle."

Chloe squeals and does as she is told. She immediately assumes the big spoon position and Beca lets her. Beca falls asleep with a small smile on her face.

The next morning Beca wakes up alone. She's a little saddened by this. Waking up with Chloe was always one of her favorite things about their relationship. Her head jerks up when her bedroom door opens.

"Oh good," Chloe said as she came into the room. "I was coming to wake you up. It's already 9:00 and Mrs. Newman has breakfast ready."

"Thanks," Beca said. "I'll be right down."

"Okay," Chloe says and leaves.

Beca and Chloe meet Aubrey and Stacie at the hospital. The are waiting for the doctor in the waiting room near Trish's room. It is almost 11:00 when Dr. Klein walks in with two other doctors.

"Good morning, ladies," Dr. Klein says. "This is Dr. Baker and Dr. Yates. They are on rounds with me today and will be assisting in waking Mrs. Mitchell."

"What exactly will happen, doctor," Aubrey asks.

"First, we need to remove the tube from her throat," Dr. Klein tells them. "Most patients get a little panicky when they start waking up and try to pull it out. Second, we will start reducing the medicines that are keeping her asleep and she should wake up."

"What do you mean 'should'," Beca asks in a panic.

"It will be fine," Dr. Klein assures Beca. "Each patient is different. If all goes according to plan, Mrs. Mitchell will be awake about 10 minutes after we start reducing her dosage. After that, we run through a few tests. If she responds well, then we'll take her for a scan and see how everything looks."

"What if she doesn't respond well?," Beca asked.

"Then we'll put her back under and wait another 24 hours to try again," Dr. Klein said. "But, I don't see that happening. Any other questions?"

The girls all shake their heads.

"Good," Dr. Klein said. "Come with me."

The girls follow the three doctors to Trish's room. Dr. Klein puts on gloves and slowly removes the tube from Trish's mouth. He then nods to Dr. Yates who starts reducing the pentobarbitol dosage. It takes about 15 minutes before Trish starts waking up.

"Mrs. Mitchell?," Dr. Klein calls out. "Mrs. Mitchell? This is Dr. Klein. Can you open your eyes for us."

Trish's eyes open and she blinks a couple of times.

"Mrs. Mitchell?," Dr. Klein calls to get her attention. "Can you look at me? That's good. Now follow my finger. Good."

Dr. Klein puts his index fingers in each of Trish's hands.

"Can you squeeze my fingers?," Dr. Klein asks. "Excellent."

Dr. Klein turns to Dr. Baker and tells her to get Trish ready to take her for her CT scan.

"So," Beca said. "What's the verdict?"

"She responded very well," Dr. Klein tells her. "We're going to take her down for a scan now. We'll know more once that's done."

"That's great," Beca said. "Thanks, doctor."

Chloe and Stacie go back to the waiting room. Beca and Aubrey stay with Trish until they take her for her scan. They're both smiling when they walk into the waiting room.

"So far, so good," Beca says.

"I'm feeling very optimistic," Aubrey said.

The girls sit quietly, waiting for the doctor to come see them. About an hour after taking her, they see Trish being brought back to her room. Beca and Chloe go sit with Trish while they wait for the doctor.

Trish's eyes are open and she looks at the two girls. Beca and Chloe look back at Trish.

"Can you talk?," Beca asked her.

"Yes," Trish croaked out. "Hurts."

"I know," Beca sid. "We're waiting for the doctor to tell us the results of the scan. Maybe then he can give you something for the pain."

"Water?," Trish asked.

"Um, I don't know," Beca said. "I'll check with a nurse."

Just then a nurse came in and Beca asked about water.

"The best I can do is ice chips for now," the nurse said.

The nurse left and came back a few minutes later with some ice chips. She used a small spoon and gave some to Trish. Dr. Klein came in followed closely by Aubrey and Stacie.

"How are you feeling Mrs. Mitchell?," Dr. Klein asked Trish.

"Good," Trish said a bit clearer than before.

"I have the results from your scan," Dr. Klein told her. "The good news is it looks like we got all of the tumor out. There is no indication on your scans that there is anything left."

"Bad news?," Trish asked.

Dr. Klein smiled.

"No bad news," Dr. Klein said. "Our treatment plan is to have you come in for another scan in three months to make sure everything is good. We also need to see how well you can walk and talk. From what little you've said, your speech sounds good. Once we assess your walking and motor skills, you could actually be out of here in just a few days."

"Seriously?," Beca asked.

"Seriously," Dr. Klein responded with a smile. "We've come a long way in treating brain cancers and tumors."

Trish let out a throaty laugh and smiled at the doctor. Chloe, Aubrey and Stacie were excited at the positive outcome.

"Mrs. Mitchell, don't get me wrong," Dr. Klein said. "It will take some time to fully recover. But, you should be back to almost 100% within a few months. It was brain surgery after all. More good news, the biopsy showed some cancerous cells in only one of the tumors. But, we got that tumor out in its entirety. So, no cancerous cells are left in the brain. You, my dear, are one for the record books."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Klein," Beca said

"I know you're probably thirsty and hungry," Dr. Klein said. "We need to start you off with liquids only for a day. We want to make sure you can handle it before we move on to soft foods. I'll have the nurse bring you some water and broth for now. Do you have any pain?"

"Throat hurt at first," Trish said. "But, it's better now."

"Good," Dr. Klein said. "I'll put a pain reliever on your chart. If anything starts hurting, just ask for it. Any other questions?"

"Can I try to walk?," Trish asked him. Smiling at how normal she was starting to sound already.

"Maybe in a little bit," Dr. Klein said. "I'll have someone from PT come see you and they'll get you up and moving. I'll be back to see you at evening rounds. Have me paged if you need anything before that."

"Thanks, doctor," Trish says.

Dr. Klein leaves and the four friends swarm around Trish's bed offering their congratulations. Trish's smile hasn't left her face.

The nurse comes in with some water and broth for Trish. She helps her sit up in her bed and starts to help her eat her broth.

"I can do it," Trish said.

The nurse handed the spoon to Trish. Trish was able to feed herself with very little difficulty. The nurse smiled and made a notation on Trish's chart.

Trish asks Beca about the party to launch the new studio. Beca tells everything is good to go.

"Did Adele RSVP?," Trish asked.

Stacie and Aubrey gasp.

"Adele?," they both ask.

"Trish!," Beca said. "We're keeping the guest list a surprise from these two. Don't say anyone else's name. And, yes, Adele RSVPed."

"O-M-AcaGee," Aubrey said. "We get to meet Adele."

Aubrey and Stacie are holding hands, jumping up and down, squealing.

"And, this is why we didn't want to tell them," Chloe said.

"Sorry," Trish said with a sheepish grin.

The physical therapist came by about an hour later.

"Good evening, Mrs. Mitchell," the PT said. "My name is Greg and I'm going to get you up and walking. What do you say?"

"Let's do this," Trish said with a smile.


	17. Chapter 17

Trish managed to walked the length of the hallway and back on the first trip. It started out a little slow, but once she got her 'sea legs', as Greg called it, she was walking much better.

Greg helped Trish back in bed and congratulated her on how well she did.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning," Greg said. "And, we'll see how far you can go. Sound good?"

"Sounds great," Trish told him. "Thank you."

Greg leaves and Trish yawns.

"I'm getting tired," Trish said.

"I guess that's our cue to leave," Beca said. "Have the nurse call if you need anything. I'll come by in the morning to see how you're doing."

"Okay," Trish said.

Beca gave her a quick hug and move away from the bed. Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie all took a turn at hugging Trish and saying they'd see her tomorrow as well.

By the time the girls gathered their stuff Trish had fallen asleep. The girls walked out of the hospital together. The paparazzi had all but given up on getting anything more from Beca than they pictures they already had so they were no longer hanging around the hospital. They decided to grab some dinner before they went their separate ways.

Beca and Chloe were both excited and had a hard time winding down.

"Want some wine?," Beca asked Chloe.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "That might help relax me a bit. Between Trish doing so well and the launch party tomorrow night, I'm a bundle of nerves."

"I know what you mean," Beca said. "I feel like I've had like 50 espressos or something."

Chloe laughed. The two of them continued talking and drinking wine. Before they knew it, three empty bottles sat on the table in front of them.

"Oh my," Chloe whispered. "I think I'm wine drunk."

"Me, too," Beca said.

They looked at each other and started laughing. They'd catch their breath and start laughing all over again. They finally pull themselves together only to find that Chloe is practically sitting on Beca's lap.

"Um," Chloe said looking at Beca's lips.

"Yeah," Beca said looking at Chloe's lips.

"We should," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Beca said and smashed her lips to Chloe's

Chloe kissed Beca back. She pushed Beca back onto the sofa and pulled back out of the kiss. She looked at Beca trying to catch her breath.

"Fuck it," Chloe said and leaned back down to kiss Beca some more.

The next morning Beca woke with a groan to find Chloe sleeping on top of her. She looked down and they were fully clothed.

"Thank God," Beca mumbles. "Chlo. Hey Chlo."

Beca gently shake the redhead.

"Stop with the pounding already," Chloe whisper yells.

She finally stirs hearing Beca call her name several times.

"What the hell?," Chloe said. "What did we do last night?"

She looks down and sees Beca's ocean blue eyes looking back at her. Chloe's eyes widen and she sits up.

"Oh, God," Chloe said holding her head.

"Don't worry," Beca said. "We didn't do anything except drink too much wine."

"Thank God," Chloe said.

The two moved gingerly to sit down on the sofa, a short distance from each other.

"What time is it?," Chloe asked.

"9:30," Beca responded. "We need to get dressed and up to the hospital."

"Okay," Chloe said, not moving.

"I need coffee and water," Beca said.

Just then Mrs. Newman walked in with two coffees, two bottles of water, and a bottle of Tylenol. She placed them on the table in front of Chloe and Beca. The two girls watched every move Mrs. Newman made.

"Bless you," Beca said.

She handed a water to Chloe and opened the bottle of Tylenol. She managed to get enough out of the bottle for both of them.

After they took the pain reliever and drank the water, they picked up their coffee cups. Chloe took her cup and headed up to her room to gather her things for a shower.

Beca stayed on the sofa drinking her coffee until she heard the shower turn off and Chloe return to her room. Beca then went up and took her shower and went to her room to get dressed as well.

They both came down carrying their empty coffee cups. They handed the cups to Mrs. Newman who took them with a small smile on her face.

"I called for a car to take us to the hospital," Beca said. "I really don't think either of us should be driving."

"Good idea," Chloe said.

Beca's phone pinged to let her know their driver was there. Beca and Chloe walked over to the door to leave.

"Wait," Beca said grabbing Chloe's arm.

Beca reached into a drawer and pulled out two pair of dark lens Ray-Bans. She handed one pair to Chloe and kept one for herself.

"You're going to need it," Beca said.

Beca opened the door and both girls immediately put on the sunglasses. The got in the car and headed for the hospital. Stacie and Aubrey were already there, talking to Trish, when they arrived. Beca and Chloe shuffled into Trish's room, both still wearing their sunglasses.

"Hey," Chloe said and flopped down in a chair.

"Mornin'," Beca said and did the same.

"I know that look," Aubrey said looking at Chloe. "You guys got drunk last night."

"It was an accident," Beca said.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "We decided to have a glass of wine or two to relax because we were both keyed up and couldn't go to sleep."

"How many glasses did you end up having?," Trish asked with a grin.

"I'm not sure," Chloe said.

"How many glasses are in three bottles of wine?," Beca asked.

"Oh, my God," Stacie said with a laugh. "The two of you polished off three bottles of wine? Wine hangovers are the worst."

"Could you not talk so loud?," Chloe whispered.

Chloe leaned her head back and placed her sweater over her eyes. Within seconds they could hear soft snores coming from the redhead. Beca was in no better shape. She had laid her head on Trish's bed and wasn't moving. She had fallen asleep as well.

Greg came in and asked if Trish was ready for another walk.

"Are they okay?," he asked when he saw the way Beca and Chloe were both sitting.

"Wine hangover," Stacie said.

"Ouch," Greg said. "Okay, well we can work around them. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, sir," Trish said and swung her legs over the side of the bed. As she did, she accidentally hit the tray table causing her breakfast tray to fall to the floor. The tray and everything on it hit the floor with a bang.

"Shit!," Chloe exclaimed as her head flew forward.

"Fuck!," Beca said sitting up.

"Sorry, guys," Trish said.

Dr. Klein walked in at that moment. He took a look at Chloe and Beca. Before he could ask, Stacie just said, "Wine hangover."

"Oh," Dr. Klein said and turned to Trish. "How are you doing today, Mrs. Mitchell?"

"I feel really good," Trish said. "I'm just going to take a walk with my good friend Greg here."

"Good," Dr. Klein said. "Mind if I just take a quick look at you before you go?"

"Sure," Trish said and laid back on the bed.

Dr. Klein did a quick exam and found that Trish was responding well to everything.

"If you're walking well," Dr. Klein told her. "You can probably go home tomorrow, Monday at the latest."

"She did great last night," Greg told the doctor. "If she does as well today, then I think she'll be leaving us tomorrow."

"Really?," Trish asked.

"Really," Greg said with a smile. "Would you care to walk with us, Dr. Klein?"

"Yes," Dr. Klein says. "I'd like to see for myself if you don't mind."

"Not all," Greg said. "Okay, Mrs. Mitchell, up at at 'em."

Trish gets up and starts walking. She stops to look back at Beca.

"You go on ahead," Beca said with a wave of her hand. "I'll be right here when you get back."

Trish laughed and said okay. Trish, Greg, and Dr. Klein walked out of the room. Stacie and Aubrey both walked over to Beca and Chloe.

"Well, well, well," Stacie said standing next to Beca. "What else did you to get into, besides three bottles of wine, last night? Hmmm?"

"Stop. Talking," Beca said holding her head in her hands.

"Yeah, Chloe," Aubrey said standing next to Chloe. "I lived with you for four years at college and I know way more things that drunk Chloe does than I really want to. So, what did you do?"

"Please, shut up," Chloe said and groaned.

"Come on," Stacie said tugging on Beca's shirt. "Let's get some food and water in you two. You need to be better before tonight."

"Fine," Beca said standing up and leaning into Stacie.

"I'm not going anywhere," Chloe said. "Bring it to me."

"Sorry," Aubrey said. "No can do. Get up and let's go."

Chloe manages to stand. Aubrey walks behind her with her hands on her shoulders to guide her where she needs to go. It takes Chloe a minute to remember how to put one foot in front of the other but she does and they proceed down the hall. Stacie isn't faring any better as she half-drags, half-carries Beca down the hall. They pass Trish in the hallway and tell her they're going to the cafeteria.

Amusingly enough, no one paid attention to the four women as they made their way down the hall and into the cafeteria.

"I think they had some kinky type of sex," Stacie says after getting their food and drinks.

Beca practically chokes on her burger. Stacie slaps her on the back a couple of times.

"What the hell, Stacie?," Beca says.

"Well, it is Chloe," is the only thing Stacie says in response.

"We did not have sex," Beca says quietly looking around. "Kinky or any other kind."

"Then what did happen?," Aubrey asked

"We started drinking wine," Chloe said. "We kissed and that's all I remember until I woke up lying on type of Beca."

"Told you," Stacie said. "Kinky."

"No sex," Chloe said. "Just kissing. We were both fully clothed when we woke up. We were never fully clothed in the morning after sex no matter how drunk we were."

"Dude," Beca said. "TMI!"

Aubrey and Stacie laugh.

"Okay," Aubrey said. "We believe you. No sex took place between you two last night."

"Exactly right," Beca said. "Now can we please eat in peace?"

"Go right ahead," Aubrey said.

Aubrey and Stacie sipped at their coffee while Beca and Chloe made their way through their burgers and fries. They both were looking much better by the time they finished eating.

"I'm actually feeling much better," Chloe said.

"Me, too," Beca said.

The girls all make their way back to Trish's room. Trish is laughing at something Greg is telling her.

"Oh, hey girls," Trish said. "Are you two feeling better?"

"Yeah," Greg said. "You didn't look so good earlier."

"We're fine," Chloe said. "Food and water helped a lot."

"Good to hear," Greg said. "You will be pleased to hear that Trish made it around the perimeter of this floor 3 full times before she had to stop."

"That's great, Trish," Beca said.

"I know," Trish said. "Dr. Klein thinks I can go home tomorrow. He'll let me know for sure during his evening rounds."

"What time are evening rounds?," Beca asked.

"Usually around 7:00-8:00," Greg said.

"We have to be at the party by six," Beca said. "I can't be here."

"That's okay," Trish said. "The opening is more important. I can text you when Dr. Klein leaves."

"No," Aubrey said. "I'll come back here and wait for Dr. Klein. I'll meet you guys at the party after."

"No," Trish said. "Seriously, it's okay. You guys don't have to be here."

"How about I stay with Trish," Greg said. "That way you guys can do what you need to do, and someone will be here with Trish. Win-win."

"I can't ask you to do that, Greg," Trish said.

"You're not asking," Greg said. "I'm offering."

"If you really don't mind, Greg," Beca said. "It would take a load off my mind."

"Consider it done," Greg said.

"Thank you," Beca said.

Chloe and Aubrey were standing apart from the others.

"Do you think Trish and Greg could become a thing?," Aubrey whispered to Chloe.

"I don't know," Chloe said, also whispering. "He is really cute and they're getting along really well."

"I just need to call my husband," Greg said. "And let him know I'll be a little late."

"Oh," Chloe and Aubrey both say.

"It's almost 3:00," Beca said. "We should head home to get ready."

"Okay," Trish said. "I expect constant updates by text until the party is over."

"We'll make sure to do that," Aubrey tells her.

The girls say their goodbyes and leave. Greg promises Trish he'll be back around 6:00 when his shift is over.

The car Beca hired arrives and whisks the girls to the hotel where the party is being held. They arrive and head into the ballroom to check how things are going. The caterers are in place and set up the food tables. Two bars are being stocked with every kind of booze you can imagine. the decorations are basic with the _Three Badasses Records_ logo on every surface, coaster, and napkin you can see.

"Wow," Aubrey said. "This place looks amazing."

"It's so weird seeing my face everywhere," Chloe said.

"The logo turned out great," Stacie said. "You three look really hot."

"I'm liking the pink shirt with the logo jacket and black skinny jeans," Chloe tells Stacie and Aubrey. "Stand there and let me take a picture to send to Trish."

Chloe takes the picture and sends it to Trish.

 _Chloe: What do you think of pink shirts for staff at label events?_

 _Trish: I love it. Let's do it._

Aubrey and Stacie spend most of the night texting Trish about all the celebrities they meet. Trish can practically hear them fangirling through the phone when they text her about meeting Adele, Pink, and Selena Gomez.

Greg is enjoying the texts almost as much as Trish.

"You so have to get me invited to one of these shindigs," Greg said looking at the picture of Stacie with Pink.

Dr. Klein comes in around 8:00 and tells Trish she can go home tomorrow. Trish squeals and hugs Greg.

"That's great news, Dr. Klein," Trish said. "What time? I need to tell Beca."

"It will be after morning rounds," Dr. Klein said. "Tell her you'll be sprung a little past noon."

"Thanks, Dr. Klein," Trish said. "For everything."

"You're welcome," Dr. Klein tells her. "I'll have some instructions for you to take home as well. You're doing great, so let's keep it that way."

"Yes, sir," Trish said with a smile.

Trish texts Chloe, Aubrey, Stacie, and Beca.

 _Trish: I can go home tomorrow. Dr K said I'll be able to leave just after noon._

 _Chloe: So glad._

 _Beca: Awesome. See you around 11:00._

 _Stacie. Yes!_

 _Aubrey: So happy for you. OMG - I think I just saw Justin Timberlake._

Trish was tired. Greg bid her a good night and promised he would stop by for one more walk first thing in the morning. Trish went to sleep feeling better than she ever expected she would.

Beca and Chloe hugged when they saw Trish's text about going home.

"I need to talk to Trish about a few things," Beca said. "And then I think we need to talk. Are you free for dinner on Wednesday? Just you and me."

"Yes," Chloe said. "Just let me know where and what time."

"Okay," Beca said. "Oh, there's Justin. We've been trying to make our schedules match so I can work on his next album. I'll be back."

Beca chased down Justin Timberlake and, as Chloe wandered around the room, she saw the two in a serious discussion. Chloe smiled. Beca was in her element here. And Chloe was a part of it. Something she never thought would happen after the way things ended five years ago. She smiled and went searching for Stacie and Aubrey.

The party finally wound down around 1:00 am. Beca had called for the car to meet them in front of the hotel. They got to Beca's and all went to bed.

The next morning Trish woke early. She asked the nurse if there was anyway she could shower. The nurse helped her so she didn't get her bandages wet. Trish put on some clean clothes and gathered all her belongings together.

As promised, Greg showed up around 9:00 and they took a walk. Trish was feeling so good that she hadn't realized they had walked for a solid hour. She was only slightly tired from the walk and she was quite happy. Greg gave her a hug and they exchanged phone numbers.

"You call me if you need someone to walk with," Greg told her. "Or just talk to."

"I definitely will," Trish said. "Plus, I owe you a party invite."

Greg gave her another hug and left.

Beca, Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie were up and ready to go by 10:30. They were all excited for Trish. The arrived a the hospital a little after 11:00. Dr. Klein came in a few minutes later.

"Well, Mrs. Mitchell," Dr. Klein said. "Everything looks great. You're free to go home as soon as the nurse brings in your discharge papers."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Klein," Trish said.

"Yes," Beca said. "Thank you."

"I'm glad everything turned out well for you," Dr. Klein said. "I'll see you in three months for another scan. The appointment information is on your discharge papers."

Dr. Klein leaves and the girls sit around anxiously waiting for Trish's discharge papers. About 20 minutes later a nurse walks in. She goes over the instructions for Trish and has her sign everything. The nurse pulls a copy and hands it to Trish.

"That's it," the nurse tells. "You're good to go."

"Thank you," Trish says. "Let's get out of here before they change their minds."

The girls all follow Trish out the door.

Mrs. Newman made the girls a nice lunch to welcome Trish home. After eating, Trish was tired so she went to take a nap. Aubrey and Stacie decided to go back to the condo. Chloe hung out with Beca until Trish woke up. After chatting with Trish for a bit, Chloe gathered her stuff and Beca took her home.

"Thanks for staying with me," Beca said.

"You're welcome," Chloe said. "Do you still want to go out to dinner on Wednesday?,"

"Definitely," Beca said. "Why don't you meet me at the studio around 6:00. We can go to that little diner just around the corner. It's quiet and we'll be able to talk."

"Sounds good," Chloe said. "I'll see you then."

"Oh, wait," Beca said. "I need to set up a meeting with Mark to talk about the contracts for some of the newer artists. I was going to have him come to the house to make it easier on Trish. Any evening you're not free?"

"I'm free any night," Chloe said smiling. "Except Wednesday."

"Okay," Beca said with a smile. "I'll let you know when once I set it up. Good night, Chlo."

"Good night, Becs," Chloe said and walked toward her house.

Beca waited until Chloe made it inside before driving off. Trish was sitting in the living room when Beca got back.

"Hey," Beca said.

"Hey, yourself," Trish said. "I think we need to talk about our divorce."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'm going to get some water first. Want anything."

"Water's good, thanks," Trish said.

Beca came back carrying two bottles of water and sat down next to Trish.

"I think we should do this in phases," Trish said. "Phase 1- I'll move back to my condo. Phase 2 - after a week, we'll announce our separation. People will figure something's up when I move out of here anyway. Phase 3 - wait another week and then we'll announce that I've filed for divorce."

"What are we going to do about Stacie and Aubrey?," Beca said. "They haven't really had time to look for a new place. Would it be weird if I let them stay here?"

"I don't think so," Trish said. "You and Aubrey have been friends for a while. It would seem right to have them stay here."

"I'm going to call Aubrey," Beca said.

Beca pulls out her phone and dials Aubrey.

"Hey, Beca," Aubrey said answering the phone. "Is Trish okay?"

"She's good," Beca said. "She's here and I have you on speaker."

"Hey, Aubrey," Trish said.

"Hey, Trish," Aubrey said. "So, what's going on?"

"I'm evicting you and Stacie from the condo," Trish tells Aubrey. "Beca and I want to get things started with our divorce."

"You and Stacie can stay with me until you find your own place," Beca adds.

"Okay," Aubrey said. "When do you want us out?"

"I think next weekend," Trish said.

"We can do that," Aubrey said.

"We'll talk more later," Beca said. "Love you guys."

"We love you guys, too," Aubrey said. "I'll talk to you later."

Beca hangs up the phone. She looks at Trish.

"Commencing Phase I of our divorce," Beca said.


	18. Chapter 18

**Some angst coming up in this chapter. I wrote and rewrote this thing like three times and it kept coming back to this. Don't hate me. I just wanted a little more drama before I got into the fluffy stuff.**

* * *

Chloe's phone pinged indicating she had a text message. She pulled out her phone and saw it was from Beca.

 _Beca: Meeting with Mark scheduled for 7:00 on Thurs my house_

 _Chloe: I'll be there_

Chloe opened up another message for Aubrey.

 _Chloe: I'm leaving in 5 mins. See you at the restaurant_

 _Aubrey: Okay see you soon_

Chloe signed the last of the documents needing her signature and placed it in the folder. She grabbed her purse and jacket and left her office. She handed the folder to her assistant and told her they could wait until morning and she could go home.

Chloe's driver dropped her off at the restaurant and Chloe went in. Stacie and Aubrey were already there. The three greeted each other and Chloe sat down.

"So," Stacie said. "Aubrey and I need your help to move out of the condo this weekend."

"Beca and Trish already asked me to help them," Chloe said. "I guess I can come to yours first and take a load over to Beca's. Then we can move Trish's stuff after."

"We only have our clothes," Aubrey said. "We'll have everything packed so all we'll need to do is load them in the car."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I think it will be basically the same for Trish."

"Have they told you about the 3 Phase Plan Trish came up with?," Stacie asked.

"Yes," Chloe said. "Beca filled me in. It sounds like a solid plan."

The three girls ordered dinner and continued chatting.

"Did Beca tell you about the new singer we're trying to get for the label?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "Beca said she's really good."

"I haven't heard her yet," Chloe said. "But, Beca says her voice is amazing."

"Have you talked to Beca?," Aubrey asked. "About something other than the label."

"Not yet," Chloe said. "We're meeting for dinner tomorrow to talk."

"Good luck," Aubrey said.

Dinner is done and the three give goodbye hugs and head back to their respective homes. Chloe looks through her closet to find the perfect outfit to wear to work tomorrow, which means she'll be wearing the perfect outfit to meet Beca. She finally decides on a light gray skirt and jacket with a dark red blouse. The blouse is loose and has four buttons. If she has all four buttons buttoned, the blouse is fine for business hours. But, if she unbuttons those same four buttons, the blouse is better suited for showing off her cleavage.

Chloe doesn't know how but she made it through the work day without any problems. She got in the car and told the driver she was going to Three Badasses studio. The driver dropped her off just around 6:00 and went looking for Beca. As she approached the offices she heard yelling. As she got closer she could tell it was Trish and Mark.

Chloe knocked on Trish's door and it was jerked open by Mark.

"Everything okay in here?," Chloe asked.

"She's just so infuriating," Mark exclaimed running his hand through his hair.

"I am not infuriating," Trish yells at him. "I just don't think we need to give in to every demand that an artist makes just to sign them. She's new to the whole music scene and we're giving her a shot at something. She should get the same standard contract that we give everyone else."

"This girl is going to make the label millions," Mark says getting agitated again. "We should give her something so that she actually signs with us."

"Do not offer her anything," Trish says. "We will discuss it tomorrow at the meeting. That's it for now."

Mark looks at Trish like he wants to say something else. He sighs and looks at Chloe.

"Excuse me," Mark says. "I'll see you tomorrow night at the owners meeting."

Chloe steps aside and allows Mark to get by. She steps into Trish's office and closes the door.

"So," Chloe says. "Want to give me a head's up on what was going on here."

"This new girl that Beca wants us to sign," Trish said. "She's asking for twice what we offer newbies. Plus, she wants total creative control over her music. Beca is not going to like that. You know how she is."

"Is she the only thing we need to discuss tomorrow?," Chloe asks.

"No," Trish says. "There are four artists total we are looking at signing. We'll listen to their demos and decide if we want to make them an offer. Plus, we need to figure out how to announce our divorce."

"Okay," Chloe says. "I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow. I've got to run. I'm meeting Beca for dinner."

"Oh, yeah," Trish said. "For 'The Talk'. She should be in her office."

"Yeah," Chloe said. "Thanks."

Chloe leaves Trish's office and walks a few doors down to Beca's. She knocks lightly and walks in. Beca is standing very close to a woman Chloe has never seen. A young, attractive woman.

"Oh," Chloe said. "I didn't know you had someone in here."

"It's okay," Beca said moving away from the girl. "This is Beth Lancaster, aka 'Blade'. She's the new talent we're talking with about signing with the label."

"Of course," Chloe said with a tight smile. "Chloe Beale. Co-Owner of the label. Nice to formally meet you."

"Pleasure," Blade says with a smirk.

"Right," Chloe says. "Becs, you ready?"

"Give me like five minutes," Beca said she says and turns to Blade. "If you have any more questions, they'll have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry, but I have a thing now."

"Thanks, Becs," Blade says stepping closer to Beca. "I'll see you later."

Blade leans in and kisses Beca on the cheek. She runs her hand down Beca's arm and gives her a wink. She turns to leave and gives Chloe a smirk as she brushes past her and out the door.

Beca clears her throat and looks at Chloe. Chloe is giving her a WTF look.

"What?", Beca asks.

"What the hell was that?," Chloe asks.

"What was what?," Beca says.

"She was flirting with you," Chloe says. "And you did nothing."

"She was not flirting with me," Beca scoffs.

"Not flirting, hmm?," Chloe asked. "What do you call it when someone gives you shy kisses on the cheek?" Chloe gives Beca a kiss on the cheek. "Or, slides their hand slowly down your your arm." Chloe slowly slides her hand down Beca's arm. "Or gives you a seductive wink." Chloe gives Beca a wink as her hand reaches the end of Beca's arm.

Beca swallows hard and forgets how to blink for a minute. She shakes her head to clear it.

"Okay," Beca says. "So she _was_ flirting with me. It's no big deal. Can we go now?"

Chloe doesn't say anything, she just follows Beca out the door. They get to the diner and are seated. Chloe grabs a menu and starts looking at it. Beca does the same. The waitress comes over and they place their orders.

Once they are alone, the two girls just sit and look at each other. Chloe crosses her arms over her chest.

"Well," Chloe said. "You're the one who set this up to talk, so talk."

"Why are you mad at me?," Beca asks.

"God," Chloe said. "You are so clueless."

"About what?," Beca asked.

"About Blade's blatant flirting," Chloe said. "What are you going to do about?"

"What do you mean?," Beca asked.

"If we sign her," Chloe said. "You'll be spending a lot of time with her. If you don't stop it now, it will get progressively worse. Or is that what you want?"

"What? No," Beca said. "Come on, Chloe. It was just harmless flirting. Nothing more."

"So was mine," Chloe said. "But, you're actions say you wanted it to be something more. So the real question is, do you want it to be something more with Blade?"

"Oh, my God," Beca said. "You're jealous."

"Answer the question, Beca," Chloe said.

"This is ridiculous," Beca said.

"Tell me honestly," Chloe said. "Is there something going on that I should be jealous of?"

Before Beca can respond she hears her name being called. She looks up and sees Blade hurrying toward the table. She looks at Chloe who is just staring at her.

"Thank goodness," Blade says as she gets to the table. "I have a great idea to make my demo better."

Blade sits down and moves her chair closer to Beca. Chloe watches as she puts a hand on Beca's thigh and leans into Beca. Chloe looks at Beca with a raised eyebrow.

"Blade," Beca says. "We're kind of in the middle of something."

"But, I need to tell you this while it's fresh in my mind," Blade said. "You can spare a few minutes to talk to me. Can't you?"

"Well, Beca?," Chloe asked. "Are _we_ going to talk or not?"

Beca just looks at her and Blade puts her hand on Beca's face and turns it toward her own.

"Please, Becs," Blade pouts. "I really need you. It will only take 20 minutes, 30 tops."

"I'm just going to go," Chloe said getting up from the table. "I've lost my appetite and really don't feel like talking to you right now."

Chloe gets up from the table and leaves Beca sitting in the diner with Blade. Chloe looks back whens she gets to the door and Beca is still sitting there with Blade practically in her lap. Chloe walks out and calls her driver to pick her up.

Trish decided to grab something for dinner before going home. She went to the diner hoping she could wait around and grab a ride with Beca. Trish walked into the diner and was shocked to see Beca and Blade sitting together, with Chloe nowhere in sight.

"Hey," Trish said walking over to the table. "Where's Chloe?"

"She left," Blade said.

"Why did Chloe leave?," Trish asked. "And, why the hell is she here?"

"I needed to talk to Beca about my demo," Blade said.

"I wasn't asking you," Trish said dismissively. "I was asking Beca."

"Are you going to let her talk to me like that, Becs?," Blade asks Beca with a pout.

"Becs?," Trish asks. "What the fuck is going on here, Beca?"

"What makes you think something is going on?," Beca asked.

"Because you and Chloe were supposed to be meeting to talk," Trish said. "And I come here and find, this, practically sitting in your lap and no Chloe. So, let me ask you again, wife, what the fuck is going on here?"

"Wife?," Blade asks. "I thought you were divorced."

"She's not," Trish spits out.

Trish just looked at Beca, waiting. Beca pushed Blade away from her and stood up. She took Trish's arm and pulled her back toward the restrooms. Trish snatched her arm away from Beca.

"Well?," Trish said.

"What do you want me to say?," Beca asked.

"Are you serious?," Trish asked. "I find some singer wannabe throwing herself at you and the woman you claim to love gone. Tell me why that is."

"I don't know why Chloe left," Beca said.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with that wannabe singing tramp," Trish said. "Hanging all over you when you were supposed to be having dinner with Chloe. Would it?"

"Chloe was talking about how Blade was flirting with me," Beca said. "She asked if she had any reason to be jealous of Blade."

"What did you say?," Trisha asked arms folded across her chest.

Beca looks down at the ground.

"What. Did. You. Say?," Trish asks again through gritted teeth.

"I didn't say anything," Beca snaps at Trish. "That's when Blade showed up."

"You're a fucking idiot," Trish said. "How do you think Chloe felt seeing Blade practically sitting in your lap and you letting her? You and Chloe were supposed to have 'the talk.' How'd that work out for you?"

"We never got to talk," Beca tells Trish.

"Oh," Trish said. "And why exactly is that?"

"Blade showed up," Beca said quietly.

"So, seems to me that maybe Chloe does have reason to be jealous," Trish said. "If you let Blade just barge in on you while you're with Chloe, where exactly does that leave Chloe?"

"I love Chloe," Beca said.

"And, yet, she's not the one you're with," Trish says. "What did she say when she left?"

"That she lost her appetite," Beca said. "And, didn't really feel like talking to me right now."

"And you let her go," Trish says.

"What was I supposed to do?," Beca asks.

"Stop her," Trish said. "Tell Blade you two could talk during business hours and make her leave. Declare your undying love to her so Blade would get the hint and leave on her own. I don't know, but letting her go sure wasn't the right move."

"I'm an idiot," Beca said.

"Yes, you are," Trish said. "Now what are you going to do about changing that?"

"Nothing's going to happen between me and Blade," Beca said.

"That's not what I asked you," Trish said. "But, are you sure about that? If I asked Blade the same question, would her answer be the same as yours?"

Beca sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"What do I do?," Beca asked.

"First thing you're going to do," Trish said. "Is kick Blade to the curb. There is no way we're signing her now. Second, you are going to go crawling back to Chloe and beg her forgiveness for being such a dumbass and actually talk to her. Third, you're giving me a ride home."

Trish and Beca walk back to the table where Blade is sitting. She was eating from one of the plates the waitress had left.

"What the hell are you doing?," Trish asked.

"Chloe left and I didn't want the food to go to waste," Blade said.

Trish turned to Beca and mouthed "make her leave."

"She's eating," Beca said. "Let her finish and then she can go."

"Thanks, Becs," Blade said and jumped up and gave Beca a quick kiss on the lips

Trish looked at Beca who just blushed and looked away.

"So, Blade," Trisha said. "Are you expecting anything to happen between you and Beca?"

"You mean romantically?," Blade asked.

"Yes," Trish said. "I mean romantically."

"We've already got something special going on," Blade said with a smile. "It's just a matter of time before it progresses to something more. And I, for one, am so looking forward to that."

Trish again looked at Beca. Beca stood there not saying anything and not looking at Trish.

"Do you have anything to say, Beca?," Trish asked.

Beca just looked at Trish. Blade grabbed Beca's hand and smirked at Trish. Beca didn't move.

"God," Trish said. "You really are an idiot."

Trish waits for Beca to say something to Blade or at least pull her hand away. Beca does nothing.

"I'm going to stay with Aubrey and Stacie tonight," Trish says to Beca. "I'll have my stuff moved out sometime tomorrow. I have a feeling I know how this is going to go. You'll be too stubborn to just tell Blade to back off because you think you can handle her and it doesn't mean anything. Then one morning you'll find yourself waking up with her next to you, wondering how the hell it happened. And Chloe will be gone. If you want to know what Chloe is going through right now, what she's feeling. Think about how you felt when you found out about her fiance. If you're willing to knowingly let her hurt like that, I don't really want to be around you."

Trish walks out of the diner. She pulls out her phone as she walks back toward the studio.

 _Trish: You OK?_

There is no response after fifteen minutes so Trish sends another text.

 _Trish: Is Chloe with you?_

 _Aubrey: No. She had plans with Beca._

 _Trish: Can I crash at the condo tonight?_

 _Aubrey: Sure. What's going on?_

 _Trish: I'll explain when I get there._

Aubrey tells Stacie about Trish's text.

"What do you think happened?," Stacie asked.

"Trish asked if Chloe was with me," Aubrey said. "So I guess it'd be fair to say that Beca upset Chloe somehow. Must have upset Trish too if she's spending the night here."

"Shit," Stacie said. "This doesn't sound good."

Trish arrived at the condo lugging a huge suitcase. Aubrey lets her in and Trish puts the suitcase in the hallway. She walks over and flops on the sofa.

"I'm going to get the rest of my things from Beca's tomorrow," Trish said. "You can stay until the weekend like we planned. Do you have any wine?"

Stacie gets the wine and three glasses and returns to the living room. She pours the wine and each girl takes a glass. Trish takes a large gulp and looks at the other two girls. She tells them about all that transpired with Beca and Blade. Stacie is livid.

"Let's take a step back for a second," Aubrey said. "Beca never came right out and said she wanted to be with Blade."

"She never came right out and said anything," Trish said.

"Blade told her exactly what she was expecting to happen," Stacie said. "And Beca didn't say a word. And she let Blade kiss her on the lips and didn't do anything about it."

"I need to talk to Beca," Aubrey said. Aubrey pulled out her phone and texted Beca.

 _Aubrey: I need to talk to you_

 _Beca: I can't_

 _Aubrey: Why not?_

 _Beca: I just can't_

 _Aubrey: Dammit, Beca. You need to talk to me because everyone else already thinks you're dumping Chloe to be with Blade. WTF is wrong with you?_

 _Beca: Meet at mine in 20_

 _Aubrey: Ok_

"I'm going to Beca's," Aubrey tells Stacie and Trish. "I'll see if I can sort this out."

Aubrey leaves and is at Beca's house 20 minutes later. She knocks and Beca immediately answers.

"You want to tell me exactly what happened today?," Aubrey asked as soon as she walked in the door.

"I'm not sure," Beca said. "One minute I'm trying to talk to Chloe and I accused her of being jealous of Blade. She asked me if she had reason to be jealous. Before I could answer, Blade showed up."

"What did you do?," Aubrey asked.

"Nothing," Beca said.

"You're an idiot," Aubrey said.

"So I've been told," Beca said.

"Why didn't you just tell Blade to leave?," Aubrey asked.

"She wanted to talk about her demo," Beca said. "She had a new idea for it and she was excited."

"Don't you have an office for that sort of thing?," Aubrey asked. "And how did she know where you were going to be? Is she stalking you? And why is she talking to you about her demo? Is she signed to the label?"

"I, um," Beca said.

"Trish said that Blade kissed you," Aubrey said. "And you didn't stop her."

"I was caught by surprise," Beca said.

"Did you say something to her about it after Trish left?," Aubrey asked.

Beca doesn't say anything.

"Trish also said that Blade made it quite clear," Aubrey said. "That she expects, this, whatever you two have, to become something more intimate. Did you tell her you already had something with Chloe?"

Beca still doesn't say anything.

"Unbelievable," Aubrey says. "Wake the fuck up, Beca! Just standing there is not helping your case at all. I'm trying to be your friend here, but right now all I want to do is the beat the shit out of you."

Beca runs her hands through her hair and looks at Aubrey.

"If you really love Chloe as much as you say you do," Aubrey said. "You would have made Blade leave the minute she barged into that diner. You would have had your talk with Chloe and probably be at her house making out right now. But, no, you ignored Chloe instead of pushing Blade away. If all this is happening because you are confused, and don't know what you want with Blade, then you need to sever all ties with Chloe. It's not fair to her to have you keep stringing her along. But, if you do let her go, I honestly don't think she'll come back to you. I hope you're ready to live with that."

Aubrey walks over and pulls Beca into a hug. Beca stiffens and just stands there. Aubrey let's her go with a sigh.

"Stacie is ready to tear you to shreds," Aubrey says. "So, I think it would be better if we stay elsewhere when we vacate the condo. Thanks for the offer though."

Aubrey turns and leaves. Beca just falls to the floor tears flowing down her face.

"What the hell is wrong with me?," she screams into the empty room.

Aubrey sits in her car for a few minutes trying to calm herself down. Beca had come so far and now she was reverting back to the Beca who pretended she didn't need anyone and she could handle things on her own. Her phone pinged and she saw it was a text from Trish.

 _Trish: Chloe called. She was being way too normal. Something's wrong and shit's about to get real._

Beca pulled herself together and pulled out her phone to send a text.

 _Beca: Can we please talk?_

 _Chloe: Nothing to talk about. We're good. See you at the meeting tomorrow night._

Beca's phone shatters as it hits the wall.


	19. Chapter 19

Chloe wakes up on Wednesday morning with a headache. She knows she should have stayed and made Beca talk to her but she also knew it would end in an argument. She gets ready for work and heads to her office. She made sure to stay busy all day so she didn't have to think about Beca and how everything had gone to Hell.

Trish woke up on the sofa. She heard someone in the kitchen. She stretched and went to find Aubrey making coffee.

"Hey," Trish says.

"Hey," Aubrey said.

"What happened with Beca last night?," Trish asked. "Sorry, I fell asleep before you got back."

"That's okay," Aubrey said. "I was so angry at Beca that it was probably a good thing you were asleep."

"So," Trish said. "What did she have to say for herself."

"Not much," Aubrey said. "She did to me exactly what she did to you. Stood there and said nothing. I don't know if it's because she really wants to be with Blade or she just really is too stupid to see what her actions are doing to Chloe. Hell, to all of us. It took me an hour to calm Stacie down and keep her from going over to Beca's."

"What can we do?," Trish asked.

"I think we just need to let Beca sort this out on her own," Aubrey said. "She's so stubborn that if we keep after her, she's going to run right into Blade's arms. I hope I can talk to Chloe today. I want to make sure she is really okay."

"I need to get ready for work," Trish said. "I'll probably only stay for a few hours. I'm a little tired and we have that owner's meeting tonight."

"Good luck," Aubrey said.

When Trish got to the studio she asked the receptionist if Beca was in. She was. Trish thought about going straight to Beca's office but decided to follow Aubrey's advice and leave her alone.

Mark came by Trish's office to talk about signing Blade again. Trish told him to stop communicating with her people because there was no way they were signing her. Mark argued with Trish and finally Trish had enough.

"It's not your call, Mark," Trish practically yelled at him. "She is already causing trouble between Beca and me and I will not give her a platform to continue whatever game she is playing."

"Beca and Chloe get a vote," Mark said. "And she will make the studio a lot of money."

"It's not always about the money," Trish said. "Plus, we have to all agree on signing an artist and I say no."

"You can't make these decisions personal," Mark said.

"She made them personal," Trish said. "When she insinuated herself into Beca's life. In case you don't remember, we are still married. So, yes, I'm making it personal and she will not be a part of this label. If you have a problem with that, then maybe you shouldn't work here."

Mark looked at Trish.

"Fine," Mark said. "I'll let her agent know we're not signing her."

"No," Trish said. "Wait until tomorrow."

"Okay," Mark said. "I'll see you tonight at the meeting."

Mark goes to leave and turns around before he gets to the door.

"Is it true that you and Beca are divorcing?," Mark asked.

"Yes," Trish said.

"Would you like to, um, have dinner with me sometime?," Mark asked. "I mean once your divorce is final."

"I thought I was infuriating," Trish says with a grin.

"You are," Mark said with a smile.

"I'd love to have dinner with you sometime," Trish says with a toothy smile.

"Good," Mark said. "You tell me when and I'm there."

"See you at the meeting tonight," Trish told him.

Mark just nodded and left Trish's office. Trish gave a little squeal and sat down in her chair. She pulled out her phone and starting texting.

 _Trish: Mark just asked me out! We're planning to go to dinner after my divorce from Beca._

 _Chloe: Our lawyer Mark?_

 _Trish: Yes._

 _Chloe: I'm so happy for you. You'll have to give me the details tonight._

 _Trish: Will do. I'll see you tonight._

Trish put down her phone and went back to work. It was almost lunch time and Trish decided to go home to rest. She was leaving her office when she saw Beca and Blade going into Beca's office. She started to go say something about it, but changed her mind and just left. She hoped Beca knew what she was doing and that Chloe didn't become collateral damage.

Chloe was finishing up her day and dreading the meeting tonight. She thought about cancelling but knew that wasn't a sound business decision. She decided to grab a bite to eat before she went to Beca's. As she was waiting for her order she got an idea. She pulled out her phone and called Stacie.

"Hey, Stace," Chloe said when Stacie answered

"Hey, Chlo," Stacie said. "Are you okay? Because I am so ready to rip Beca a new one. Just say the word."

"I'm okay," Chloe said with a laugh. "No ripping of a new one needs to be done. I actually called to see if you were doing anything tonight."

"I don't have anything planned," Stacie told her. "Why? What do you need?"

"I need you to pick me up from Beca's at around 8:00 tonight," Chloe said. "Only don't come in. Just text me when you get there."

"Okay," Stacie said. "You know I wouldn't really do anything to Beca."

"I know," Chloe said. "I just want to see if Beca will get jealous. When you let me know you're there, I'm going to tell them I have to go because my date was there to pick me up."

"You devil," Stacie said with a laugh. "I like it."

"I just want to see if there's any hope for us," Chloe said quietly. "If she gets jealous, then that's a good sign. Right?"

"It may just be the push Beca needs," Stacie said. "I'll see you tonight. _Babe_."

Chloe gives a small laugh as she hangs up. She just hopes this plan doesn't bite her in the ass.

Chloe was a little early arriving at Beca's. She noticed that Marks' car wasn't there yet so she had her driver to wait with her and she sat in the car until Mark arrived. She couldn't tell if Trish was there yet and she didn't want to be alone with Beca.

Mark arrived and went into the house. Chloe was just getting out of her car when another car pulled up and Trish got out. The car pulled away.

"Hey, Trish," Chloe called out.

Trish stopped and waited for Chloe to get to her. She gave Chloe a hug.

"How are you doing?," Trish asked.

"I'm okay," Chloe said. "Let's get this over with."

Trish laughed lightly and they walked up to the door. Mark answered their knock.

"Hello, ladies," Mark said with a smile.

The girls said hi to Mark and walked inside. Mark led them to the living room where he had his laptop set up for them to listen to the demos of the artists they would be considering signing.

"Where's Beca?," Trish asked.

"She wasn't quite ready when I got here," Mark said. "You looked kind of dressed up for this meeting Chloe."

"I came from work," Chloe said. "Plus, I, um, have plans later."

Trish looked at Chloe in surprise.

"I'll tell you later," Chloe mouthed to Trish.

Beca finally came in.

"Good, Beca, you're here," Mark said. "Let's get started."

Beca doesn't say anything and sits down. Chloe can feel Beca looking at her but she schools her face to show no emotion and looks at Mark.

"Here we go," Mark said.

He played the first demo and they all listened. The song ended and Mark looked at the three.

"They sounded pretty good," Chloe said. "I wouldn't be opposed to signing them."

"They were auto-tuned," Beca said. "I want to hear them without the auto-tuning. I'll make my decision based on a live audition."

"I can live with that," Chloe said and Trish agreed.

Mark played the next two demos and they all agreed to sign one of the bands but not the other.

"And, last we have," Mark said playing Blade's demo.

"She does sound pretty good," Chloe said honestly.

"I don't think we should sign her," Trish said.

"I agree with Trish," Beca said causing Trish and Chloe to both snap their heads up and look at her.

"I thought you liked her for the label," Mark said.

"She's not the right fit for the label," Beca said. "Let someone else deal with her."

"Okay, then," Mark said. "I'll contact everyone tomorrow and let them know your decision."

Mark starts packing up his laptop and Chloe's phone pings with a new text message. She knows it's Stacie and she texts back that she'll be a minute.

"Sorry," Chloe said. "That was, um, my ride letting me know they were here."

"You said you had plans," Trish teased. "What kind of plans?"

"Um, just, uh, drinks," Chloe said. "With a friend."

Chloe looked nervously at Beca. She didn't know if she could go through with pretending she had a date.

"Do you think your friend would mind waiting for a bit?," Beca asked. "So we can talk."

"Let me check," Chloe said.

 _Chloe: Beca wants to talk. Can you wait a bit, just in case I still need the ride?_

 _Stacie: Take your time. I'll be here if you need me._

 _Chloe: Thanks._

"She'll wait," Chloe said.

"Well," Trish said. "We should go. I'll talk to you both later."

Mark says his good night and walks out with Trish.

"Would you like something to drink?," Beca asked as Chloe sat down.

"No thanks," Chloe said.

Beca sits down across from Chloe and looks at her. Chloe sits quietly waiting for Beca to say something.

"I'm really sorry about last night," Beca blurted out. "I'm an idiot. I can't even explain why I did what I did, or didn't do what I should have done. I was just caught up in a web of stupidity. I should have told Blade to back off when she first started flirting with me. I should have never let her come to the studio. I don't do that for other artists unless we've actually signed them. She just made me feel, I don't know, wanted. I guess I haven't felt that way for a while."

"How can you say that, Beca?," Chloe asked getting angry. "I've told you that I want us to be together. That I love you."

"But, you never showed it," Beca said. "You never flirt with me. You never hug me for no reason."

"Because you're married," Chloe said. "And there are certain boundaries you do not cross. You agreed that nothing should happen between us while you were still married. I respected that. If I had crossed the line I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. And, I wouldn't have been able to live with you. So, I maintained my distance and waited for you."

"I should have talked to you," Beca said. "When it first started happening."

"Yes," Chloe said. "You should have. It really hurt, Beca. When you didn't do anything about Blade touching you and kissing you in front of me, I died a little inside. I thought that you wanted her, which meant you no longer wanted me."

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Chlo," Beca said. "You have to believe that."

"I do," Chloe said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I just want to know where I stand with you."

"I love you, Chlo," Beca said getting up and sitting next to Chloe. "I want to be with you, and no one else. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. What do you say? Can we be us again? I mean, once I'm divorced."

"I want that, too," Chloe said. "I want to be us again. I love you so much."

Beca grabbed Chloe by the back of the neck and pulled her into a kiss. Chloe was taken by surprise, but kissed Beca back. They broke the kiss when breathing became a problem.

"Wow," Chloe said breathlessly.

"Yeah," Beca said. "Wow!"

"I, um, should probably go," Chloe said.

"You can always stay," Beca said not letting go of Chloe.

"I, I can't," Chloe said. "I made a promise and if I stay, I know I'll break it."

"You're right," Beca said with a sigh. "Can we date while Trish and I are separated? Is that okay?"

"I think so," Chloe said.

"Are you free Saturday night?," Beca said. "Maybe just a simple dinner or something."

"I'd like that," Chloe said.

"I'll pick you up at 6:00," Beca said.

"Okay," Chloe said.

Chloe eases out of Beca's hold and stands up. Beca stands up with her.

"I'd better go," Chloe said. "My ride is waiting."

"Did you have a date planned tonight?," Beca asked.

"Yes, no, not really," Chloe said. "I asked Stacie to pick me so I could tell you it was a date. To make you jealous. To see if there was still a chance for us or not."

Beca smiles and shakes her head.

"Give Stacie my best," Beca said. "I'll see you on Saturday."

"I will," Chloe said with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Beca said and gives Chloe another kiss.

Chloe breaks the kiss with a smile. Beca opens the door for her and Chloe gives her a quick peck on the lips as she passes by and goes out the door. Beca watches until she sees Chloe get in the car.

As soon as the car door closes, Chloe squeals and does a little happy dance in her seat.

"I take it the talk went well," Stacie says with a laugh.

"It went better than well," Chloe said with a toothy smile. "Everything is good and right with the world."

"I'm glad," Stacie said. "I actually love the little hobbit and really didn't want to have to hurt her."

"Nope," Chloe said. "No more hurting is going to be done, by anyone."

Stacie drives in silence for a couple of minutes.

"Hey, Chlo," Stacie said. "Aubrey asked me to ask you if we could maybe stay with you for a while. We were supposed to stay with Beca but Aubrey's mad at her."

"Of course," Chloe said. "I have plenty of room. It will be nice to have someone else there. I like the quiet, but sometimes I just need noise. You know?"

"I know what you mean," Stacie said. "Even when we aren't saying anything, it's nice to know that Aubrey is there."

"Where are you looking to buy?," Chloe asked.

"I'm not really sure," Stacie said. "Aubrey's on a big case for her dad and she's been really busy. She told me to make the decision, but I want her to see it first. It may take a while with her schedule."

"Stay as long as you need to," Chloe said. "No rush on my part. Plus, in a couple of weeks, I may be spending more time at Beca's."

"You slut," Stacie says with a laugh.

"Not a slut," Chloe said. "I'm a one woman gal."

"What happened," Stacie said. "To waiting until Beca and Trish are divorced?"

"I figure," Chloe said. "Once the divorce papers are filed, Beca is technically a free woman. Plus, after the way Beca kissed me just now, I'm too horny to wait much longer."

Stacie laughed. She remembered how 'active' Chloe and Beca were back in college.

"How have you managed to keep it in your pants all this time?," Stacie asked with a grin.

"Let's just say," Chloe said. "I listen to 'Titanium' a lot. And, I mean, _a lot._ "

Stacie let out a loud, boisterous laugh.

The next day Beca wakes with a smile on her face. She and Chloe were going to be okay. She got dressed and went to the studio.

She stopped by Trish's office on the way to her own.

"Hey," Beca said poking her head around the door. "Got a minute?"

"Sure," Trish said. "Come on in."

Beca came in and closed the door behind her. She sat in a chair in front of Trish's desk.

"So," Beca said. "Chloe and I talked. I got my shit together and we're okay."

"Thank God," Trish said. "I'm glad to hear it."

"I have a question for you though?," Beca asked. "Um, would you consider it cheating if Chloe and I dated after we separate?"

"I wouldn't," Trish said. "Not sure how the media and our fans will see it though."

"We wouldn't be blatant about it," Beca said. "I wouldn't do that to you. I just figure we'd do most of the dates at my house or her house. But, go out on more public outings like getting coffee or something and work up to more formal dates when our divorce is almost final."

"You want to now if it's okay to sleep with her, don't you?," Trish asked with a grin.

"So, so much," Beca said. "I know this is weird, but I haven't been laid in almost a year. And, no offense to you, but I don't really miss it until I get around Chloe. I feel like a horny teenage boy whenever I'm around her."

Trish laughs at Beca and Beca blushes.

"You're thinking about her naked right now," Trish says. "Aren't you?"

"God, yes," Beca said and puts her head down on Trish's desk.

"It's okay," Trish said. "Because I also have someone who wants to date me."

"Really?," Beca said lifting her head. "Who?"

"Mark," Trish said. "He asked me to dinner when our divorce is final. I think once the papers are filed though, I may just ask him out."

"That so great," Beca said. "I'm so happy for you. He is really good guy."

"So, we agree then?," Trish said. "Once I file for divorce, we can date and whatever happens, happens."

"Does that include-," Beca starts.

"Yes," Trish says with a laugh. "That includes sex."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!," Beca says grabbing Trish in a hug.

"It's no big deal," Trish said. "You're not the only one horny."

"You dirty little bird," Beca says and they both start laughing.

Saturday morning comes and Chloe is helping put some of Stacie and Aubrey's things in her car. She doesn't drive herself often, but she keeps a car because she really likes to drive.

Aubrey follows Chloe to her house. They unload both cars and Chloe drives them to Beca's. Trish is standing next to her driver as he closes the back of the SUV.

"Hey, girls," Tish said.

"Hey, Trish," the three girls say back.

"I'm glad to see you," Trish said. "But we've got everything loaded in the SUV."

"Oh," Chloe said. "Well, do you want to take your stuff to the condo and then meet us for lunch somewhere?"

"Sounds good," Trish said. "Beca's inside if you want to let her know. We're going to go and get this stuff to the condo. Just text me where to meet you."

"Okay," Chloe says and follows Stacie and Aubrey into the house.

"Beca?," Stacie calls out as she enters through the unlocked door. "The door was open. Where are you?"

Beca comes down the stairs.

"Oh, hey," Beca says. "I guess Trish left it unlocked since she was in and out. Where is she?"

"They left to take Trish's stuff to the condo," Aubrey said. "We're going to meet her for lunch and wanted to know if you want to join us."

"Sounds good," Beca said. "I'm starving."

They decide to go to their favorite diner and pile into Chloe's car after texting Trish where to meet them. They arrive at the diner and get a table. They sit around chatting while waiting for Trish.

Trish comes in and walks over to the table.

"The paparazzi are outside," Trish tells them. "Ready to put on a show?"

"What do you have in mind?," Beca says.

"Don't turn around," Trish says. "I'm going to yell at you and then you're going to get in my face. I'll stomp off and you'll follow me. I texted my driver to come back for me and he'll be here in less than 5 minutes. You ready?"

The whole time Trish was talking to Beca she was waving her arms and had an angry look on her face. Beca stood up and got in Trish's face.

"What happened to making this amicable?," Beca said.

"We still can," Trish said. "I just figured this way was more fun."

Trish is biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"Okay," Beca said. "Let's take this outside."

Trish stomps off with Beca right behind her. The other three girls shake their heads and follow.

"I can't believe you didn't see this coming," Trish yells at Beca.

"I can't believe you only married me because you were scared of dying alone," Beca said. "What happened to loving me and wanting to be with me?"

"I do love you," Trish said. "I'm just not in love with you. Since my surgery I realize I want to be in love with the person I'm married to."

"God," Beca said running a hand through her hair. "I can't believe I fell for your lies."

The paparazzi are eating up the 'heated' exchange between Beca and Trish.

"God, you are so infuriating," Trish said. "I don't think there's a chance for us and I want a divorce."

The last words came out at the same time Trish's driver pulled up. Trish opened the car door herself and turned before she got in.

"My lawyer will be serving you with divorce papers within the week," Trish said.

With that, Trish put her sunglasses on and got in the car. Her driver immediately pulled off and the paparazzi continually snapped pictures.

Beca turned into Chloe and Chloe 'comforted' her. Stacie and Aubrey gathered around the two showing their support for their friend. Beca's shoulders were shaking. The paparazzi took it as Beca crying, but in actuality, Beca was laughing so hard she had to hide her face in Chloe's neck. She was laughing so hard, tears were running down her face. More for the paparazzi to eat up.

"Did you see that dramatic exit after she said she wanted a divorce?," Beca whispered to her three friends. "It was priceless."

The three friends finally got Beca to 'calm' down and led her to Chloe's car. Chloe jumped into the driver's seat and pulled off. She watched her rearview mirror for a couple of minutes.

"We're clear," Chloe said. "No one followed us."

"I'm still hungry," Stacie said.

"We'll go back to mine and order some Chinese or something," Chloe said.

Everyone agrees to that plan. Beca's phone pings with a message. She looks down and sees it's from Trish. She laughs as she reads it.

 _Phases 2 and 3 of the Divorce Plan are in play. Go sex up your girl!_


	20. Chapter 20

Chloe, Beca, Stacie and Aubrey are sitting around Chloe's dining room when the first reports of Beca and Trish's "breakup" hit social media and the mainstream media. Many of the reports showed pictures and video of Trish's dramatic exit on the heals of telling Beca she wanted a divorce.

"Listen to these headlines," Beca said.

 _"Up and coming music producer Beca Mitchell splits from Trish Compton, her wife of less than 6 months."_

 _"Trish Compton dumps wife Beca Mitchell and files for divorce."_

 _"Beca Mitchell, part owner of Triple Badass Records, splits from wife and co-owner of the label. Divorce is imminent."_

"Social media is split 50-50," Chloe said. "Some think you cheated on Trish, some think Trish cheated on you. Some think that Trish was only using you for your money and health insurance."

"Health insurance?," Beca said with a laugh. "She's using me for my money? Boy, do these people need to get their facts straight."

"Here's one that says the label is probably going to shut down because of your split," Stacie said.

"Shit," Beca said. "I need to nip that one in the bud right now. I don't want our employees to think they're losing their jobs. I'm calling the PR folks."

Beca got up and made the call. They discussed a press release and agreed on the wording. The PR folks said they'd run it by Trish and have something out in less than an hour. Beca thanked them and hung up.

"Don't be surprised if you start getting media calls," Beca told Chloe. "You're part owner of the label, too, and they'll want to know where you stand."

"What do the PR folks say?," Chloe asked.

"They want to use Trish's cancer diagnosis," Beca said. "And, how she was scared and wanted to be married when she died. We love each other but we're not really in love with each other. We asked for understanding during this time. Same old, same old."

"What about the label?," Chloe asked. "What should I say?"

"If they ask," Beca said. "Just tell them that we have no plans to shut it down. We were friends first and foremost and we will continue working with each other."

"Okay," Chloe said. "It's getting late. I need to get ready for our date. What are we doing?"

"I thought since the whole divorce thing is out there," Beca said. "That I could cook dinner for you at my place. If you want to get ready and just come over that will work."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll see you before 6:00. Can I bring wine or something?"

"Wine would be good," Beca said. "I'll see you later. I need to go to the grocery store on the way home."

Chloe gives her a quick kiss and Beca leaves. Chloe goes and takes a shower. She calls Stacie and Aubrey in to help her pick out an outfit.

"Chloe," Aubrey says. "Calm down. It's not like it's your first date with Beca."

"But it is," Chloe says. "It's our first date since we broke up five years ago. I want this to go well so she'll see how much I really do love her and we can have a future together."

"She loves you, too," Aubrey said. "Stop panicking."

"Here," Stacie says handing Chloe a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a read tank top. "Wear these with your leather jacket and your red Keds and you're good to go."

"Thanks, Stacie," Chloe said. "This is actually perfect."

"You're welcome," Stacie said.

Chloe gets dressed. She grabs a bottle of wine and heads for the door.

"Don't wait up," Chloe sing songs to Stacie and Aubrey as she leaves.

Chloe arrives at Beca's a little before 6:00. She checks her hair and makeup in the rearview mirror and steps out of the car. She takes a deep breath and goes to the front door and rings the bell. Beca answers almost immediately.

"Hey," Beca says looking Chloe up and down. "You look nice."

"Thank you," Chloe said. "So do you."

"Come on in," Beca said, moving aside to let Chloe enter.

"Here's the wine," Chloe said handing Beca the bottle.

"Great," Beca said. "Would you like a glass now?"

"Sure," Chloe said, following Beca into the kitchen.

"I'm making fettuccine alfredo," Beca said. "Hope you like it."

"I'm sure I'll love it," Chloe said with a smile.

Beca poured the wine and handed a glass to Chloe. Chloe took a sip and looked around, not sure of what to do.

"You want to sit while I finish up dinner?," Beca asked Chloe.

"Oh, sure," Chloe said and sat down at the counter. She watched as Beca pulled the makings of a salad out of the refrigerator.

"Can I help with that?," Chloe asked.

"No thanks," Beca said. "I got it."

Beca threw some mixed greens into a bowl and then added some thinly slice red onions. Next she sliced some strawberries and took some mandarin orange pieces and put those in the salad. She then opened a can of walnuts and threw a small handful into the salad. She shook up the Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette and set it beside the salad bowl.

Chloe just sat and watched Beca. She was so nervous and jumped when Beca called her name.

"I'm sorry, what?," Chloe said.

"I asked if you were ready to eat?," Beca said with a small laugh. "We can eat here or in the dining room."

"Let's eat here," Chloe said. "I don't feel like moving."

"Okay," Beca said.

Beca poured some dressing on the salad and tossed it all together. She plated some and set it in front of Chloe. She then made herself a plate.

"This is really good," Chloe said. "I don't think I've ever had strawberries and oranges in a salad like this before."

"I had it at a restaurant once," Beca said. "I loved it and started making it at home. Oh shit, I almost forgot."

Beca got up and opened the refrigerator. She came back holding some feta cheese crumbles. She opened the package and sprinkled some on hers and Chloe's salad.

"This will make it taste even better," Beca said.

Chloe smiled and took another bite of the salad, making sure to get some of the cheese.

"Wow," Chloe said. "The cheese really does add a little something more. It's really delicious."

"Thank you," Beca said.

The two eat their salads in silence, stealing glances at each other. The salads are done and Beca plates up the fettuccini alfredo and sets the plates on the counter. Chloe takes a bite and then just pushes the food around on the plate.

"What's wrong?," Beca asked. "You don't like it?"

"No, it's not that," Chloe said putting her fork down. "I know it's silly, but I'm so nervous that my stomach is in knots."

"Thank God," Beca says with a chuckle. "I'm nervous, too."

"I've thought about nothing but being with you for the past five years," Chloe said. "And, now that we're together, I'm nervous and scared. I don't want to screw this up again."

"It's just us," Beca said. "We'll figure everything out together. I love you, Chloe. I'm all in for this."

"I love you, too," Chloe said.

Beca leaned over and kissed Chloe. Chloe kissed her back. Without breaking the kiss, Beca stood and got between Chloe's legs. She put her arms around Chloe's waist and pulled her closer. Chloe put her arms around Beca's neck and deepened the kiss. They only pulled back when oxygen became an issue.

"Would you think I was some kind of slut if I suggested we move this to the bedroom?," Chloe whispered.

"No, to the slut part" Beca said and kissed Chloe again. "And a definite yes to the bedroom part."

Beca gave her another quick kiss and took Chloe's hand. She gently pulled the redhead with her and they quietly walked to Beca's bedroom. Once there, Beca gently laid Chloe on the bed. They spent the next couple of hours relearning each other's bodies. They were laying wrapped in each other's arms and Chloe looks at Beca and smiles.

"I love you," Chloe whispers.

"I love you, too," Beca whispers back.

They settle together and drift off to sleep. The next morning Chloe wakes up feeling sore in all the right places. She smiles and reaches for Beca only to find an empty bed. She sits up and looks around. Her face scrunches up in worry.

"Does Beca regret this?," Chloe thinks getting lost in her thoughts.

Just then the door opens and Beca walks in carrying a tray. Chloe smiles brightly at her.

"Oh, good," Beca said walking over to the bed. "You're awake."

"I am," Chloe said as Beca set the tray on the bedside table.

Beca looked at Chloe sitting up with the sheet bunched around her waist. Beca couldn't help but stare at Chloe's naked chest.

"My eyes are up here," Chloe said with a laugh.

"I know," Beca said with a smirk and walked over and kissed Chloe.

Chloe wrapped her arms around the DJ and pulled her down on top of her.

"I'd love to continue this," Beca said. "But, I definitely need to refuel before we do."

Chloe laughed and let Beca go. She sat up and Beca put the tray over her lap.

"Wow, Becs," Chloe said. "Did you make this?"

"No," Beca said. "I had Mrs. Newman put it all together."

Chloe smiled and dug into the breakfast. She and Beca made small talk while they ate.

"Um, Chlo," Beca said. "Last night was one of the best nights of my life. I realize now what I've been missing the past five years. And, no, I don't just mean the sex. I mean, the connection and love that we had. It's still there."

"I know," Chloe said. "I felt it to."

Chloe kissed Beca and things heated up quickly.

Trish fixed the scarf around her head. Her hair had started growing back but it was still too short to hide the scar from her incision. She finished getting dressed and called for a car to take her to Beca's. She needed to talk to her about a few things. Trish arrived at Beca's and Mrs. Newman let her in.

"Is Beca here?," Trish asked.

"She's in her bedroom," Mrs. Newman told her.

"Thank you," Trish said and headed upstairs.

Beca and Chloe fell back on the bed both trying to catch their breath. They both jumped when Trish walked in calling out Beca's name.

"Oh, my God," Beca yelled scrambling to grab the sheet to pull it over her and Chloe.

"Wow," Trish said. "I'm rethinking not having us consummate our marriage. Kind of looking hot there, Becs."

Chloe starts laughing and Beca's face is redder than a tomato.

"I'm sorry," Trish said. "I was expecting to find you asleep."

"It's okay," Chloe said. "We were pretty much done anyway.

"Speak for yourself," Beca mumbled, causing Chloe to laugh.

"I'll be downstairs," Trish said. "We need to talk about some things regarding our divorce."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll be down in about 20minutes."

"Oh," Trish said. "Chloe, you should come too. We need to talk about the studio."

"Okay," Chloe said.

Trish left and Beca fell back on the bed with her hands over her face. Chloe laughed at her and said she was going to shower first. The two took turns showering and got dressed. They walked downstairs together to find Trish and Mark in the living room.

"Hey, Mark," Beca said. "I didn't know you were here."

"I asked him to meet me here," Trish said. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

"Sure," Beca said and led Trish to her home office.

"What's up?," Beca asked as soon as they sat down.

"I want to tell Mark the truth about our marriage," Trish said. "I really like him and I don't want their to be any secrets between us."

"Okay," Beca said. "Mark's a good guy. I think he'll understand. Why don't I send him in here and you guys can talk now. Okay?"

"Thanks," Trish said.

Beca went to the living room and told Mark that Trish wanted to talk to him. Mark stood and went to talk to Trish.

"Everything okay?," Mark asked as he walked into the office.

"Yeah," Trish said motioning for Mark to sit. "I need to tell you something and it's going to have to stay between us. Okay?"

"Okay," Mark said looking a bit confused.

Trish proceeded to tell him about her and Beca's marriage. She didn't leave out anything. When she was finished she looked at Mark.

"I'm telling you all this," Trish said. "Because I really like you. And I think this thing between us could be something."

Mark sits there with his brows furrowed. Thinking.

"Can you say something?," Trish said nervously. "Please?"

"So, you and Beca," Mark said. "Didn't have a real marriage?"

"Only on paper," Trish said.

"Okay," Mark said.

"Okay?," Trish said.

"Yeah," Mark said. "I totally get why you did it. I'm glad you were honest with me. I really like you, too, and I want to see where this might go. Do you think it would bother Beca if I asked you out?"

"Beca won't mind," Trish said said with a smile. "She's already dating. Although they are keeping it on the down low until closer to our divorce being final."

"She is?," Mark said. "Wait. Is it Chloe? They are old friends from college, right?"

"Yep," Trish said. "They actually dated in college."

"It all makes sense now," Mark said. "Whenever they were in a room together there was this sexual energy. I thought I was going to have to tell you Beca was cheating on you, because it seemed like that's where it was headed."

"I knew about Chloe," Trish said. "They were both being respectful of our marital status and promised they wouldn't do anything until the divorce was in the works. Beca and I had a talk and we both agreed that we should be able to pursue someone else since the papers have been filed.?"

"Got it," Mark said.

Mark and Trish joined Beca and Chloe in the living room. Mark smiled when he saw them holding hands and talking with their heads close together.

"Everything good?," Beca asked.

"Everything's great," Trish said.

"That's great," Beca asked.

"Yeah, it is," Trish said. "Now, let's talk about our divorce."

"Okay," Beca said. "I got the papers and it's pretty generic. We will have to discuss our assets though."

"I agree," Trish said. "I think we should just walk away with what we brought to the marriage. I'm leaving you in my will because you are still the one person I trust more than just about anyone."

"You can change it later," Beca said. "Do you want this house?"

"What?," Trish said. "No. This was already your house when we got married. I'm not asking for anything from you, no alimony, no property, no anything. Seriously, we just walk away with what we brought to the marriage."

"Okay," Beca said. "I can live with that."

"As for the studio," Trish said. "We will leave everything just as it is. We three will continue to run it just like we have been. We won't be closing it down or having to buy each other out. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Beca said.

"Agreed," Chloe said.

"Did I leave anything out?," Trish asked.

"Um," Mark said. "Do you think you might want to talk about what you're going to say when the paparazzi see you out dating?"

"Our PR people put out a statement last night," Beca said. "Basically saying that we still love each other but we're not in love with each other. That Trish was scared of being alone because of the tumor. Now that she's better, she realizes that she wants to be married to someone she's in love with. I agree with that and wish nothing but the best for her. That sort of thing."

"Okay," Mark said. "When are you going to come out as dating?"

"Well," Trish said. "I think we should start tonight. All of us having dinner as friends. After a couple of times then maybe we can say it became something else."

"Oh," Mark said with a grin. "I like that."

Trish smiled.

"Beca and I can do the same thing," Chloe said. "I mean, people already know we knew each other in college. It won't be weird for us to be out together. Maybe we can even double sometime just to show that we're friends and then to show that you two are okay with the other dating someone else."

They all agreed to have dinner together that evening and Mark and Trish left. A little it later Chloe said she should probably go as well so she had time to get ready.

"Do you to stay here again, tonight?," Beca asked.

"As much as I'd love to, I can't," Chloe said. "I have work tomorrow and if I stay here, I won't get much sleep."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll pick you up at 6:00. I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe said kissing Beca once more.

Beca opened the door and watched Chloe leave. Chloe got back to her house and found Aubrey and Stacie sitting on the couch watching a movie.

"Well at least you're wearing your own clothes," Aubrey said with a laugh.

"Ha, ha," Chloe said with a smirk.

"Do you have a habit of coming home wearing someone else's clothes, Chlo?," Stacie asks with a suggestive wink.

"She did," Aubrey said. "There were many mornings she'd come home wearing Beca's clothes when we were at Barden."

"So," Stacie said. "Did you two reacquaint yourselves last night?"

Chloe let out a squeal and flopped down on the sofa.

"We did," Chloe said with a grin. "Five times. And two more times this morning."

"Good for you," Stacie said with a laugh.

"Seriously, Chloe," Aubrey said. "I didn't want to hear about you and Beca back then, and I don't really want to hear about it now."

"Jealous?," Chloe asked.

"Jealous?," Stacie asked. "Have you met me? She is definitely not jealous."

"Stacie!," Aubrey said cheeks turning redder than a tomato.

Stacie and Chloe laughed. The girls spent the day just hanging out, watching movies, and talking. Around 5:00 Chloe excused herself and went to take a shower. After her shower she picked out an outfit to wear to dinner with Beca, Mark and Trish. Beca was there to pick her up at 6:00 and they met Trish and Mark at the restaurant.

The paparazzi were out in full force tonight. The two couples were both photographed as they entered the restaurant. There were more flashes from outside once the two couples were seated at their table.

"God," Mark said. "Do they ever stop?"

"Beca's a grammy winning music producer," Trish said. "And, I made a big scene when I officially asked her for a divorce. They'll be around until something bigger comes along."

"Yeah," Beca said. "Plus the fact that we're out together only a week after her big dramatic scene at the diner, they're definitely going to be on us all night."

The four enjoyed their dinner. Mark and Trish definitely wanted to go out together again. Chloe and Beca were both happy for the couple. Dinner was finished and the couples were ready to leave. Beca called for her car and offered Trish and Mark a ride. They accepted and left together and were ready to face the cameras.

"Beca, are you and Trish getting back together?," a reporter asked.

Beca stopped and smiled.

"No," Beca said. "Trisha and I both agree to this divorce. We still love each other and will remain friends."

"Trish, did Beca cheat on you?"

"Seriously, dude?," Beca said.

"No," Trish spoke up. "Beca did not cheat on me. Since my prognosis has changed for the better, I realized that I wanted to be in love with the person I was married to. I do love Beca with all my heart, but we're not _in_ love. I want us both to get our happy ending."

"Trish, who's the guy?"

"This is Mark," Trish said. "He's a lawyer at our label."

"Chloe, do you think the divorce will hurt Triple Badass Records?"

"No, I don't," Chloe said. "We are all friends and the label will continue to run just as it has been."

"Our car is here guys," Beca said. "We'll see you around."

The two couples got in the car and waved at the photographers as the driver drove off and dropped everyone off at their respective homes.

One month later, Beca and Chloe are having lunch together.

"I can't believe," Beca said. "That I'm officially divorced as of today."

"I can't believe ," Chloe said. "That you got a divorce in like a month."

"According to our lawyers," Beca said. "A month is pretty normal if the divorce is uncontested and all the papers were filed."

"So," Chloe said. "Does this mean we can stop pretending to be just friends hanging out?"

"Hold on," Beca said pulling out her phone.

She found the number she was looking for and pressed call.

"Hey," Beca said. "It's me."

"Hey, ex-wife," Trish said. "What's up?"

"How would you feel if you saw a picture of me, taken by the paps, kissing Chloe?," Beca asked.

"Is this your way of announcing that you two are an item?," Trish asked with a laugh.

"Yep," Beca said. "What do you think?"

"If you check your twitter you'll see I beat you to the punch this morning," Trish said.

"What?," Beca said. "Chloe pull up Trish's twitter."

Chloe pulled up twitter on her phone and found a picture of Trish and Mark and reads the caption.

 _"Getting a kiss from my new fella. #Trishsnewguy"_

"You bitch," Beca said with a laugh. "Well, I guess it won't matter now. So, I'll see you back at the studio ex-wife of mine."

"See you later," Trish says and hangs up the call.

"Chloe Beale," Beca said. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Beca Mitchell," Chloe said with a smile. "I'd love to be your girlfriend."

Beca leaned over and kissed Chloe. And the paparazzi were there to capture the moment. Beca and Chloe laughed and even waved at the paparazzi. The finished lunch and were ready to leave.

"Ready to face the inevitable questions?," Beca asked.

"I am if you are," Chloe said.

Both girls walked out of the restaurant holding hands.

"Beca, are you and Chloe dating?"

"Yes, we are," Beca said. "And, she just agreed to be my girlfriend."

"Beca, how do you feel about Trish dating?"

"I'd be a hypocrite if I said it bothers me," Beca said. "I wish her and Mark all the best. Mark is a great guy and they'll be good for each other."

"Chloe, do you think Beca is 'the one' for you?"

Chloe stopped and looked at Beca. She smiled and turned back to the reporter.

"Yes," Chloe said. "Yes, I do."

Beca smiled and kissed Chloe. Their car pulled up and both girls hurried to get in. The driver pulled off and Beca kissed Chloe again.

"So," Beca said. "You think I'm the one for you, huh?"

"You've been the one for me for years," Chloe said. "I was just too much of a coward before. I"m not a coward anymore. I love you, Beca."

"I love you, too," Beca said and gave Chloe a lingering kiss.


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning Chloe woke up next to Beca. She kissed Beca's shoulder and Beca woke up and looked at Chloe.

"Good morning, girlfriend," Chloe said with a smile.

"Good morning," Beca said voice raspy from sleep. "What time is it?"

"It's 6:30," Chloe told her. "I have to go home so I can get ready for work."

"Want me to drive you?," Beca asked. "Or call a car for you."

"That's okay," Chloe said . "I already called for one. It should be here in about 15 minutes."

Chloe got up and went into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and got dressed. When she came out of the bathroom, Beca had fallen back to sleep. She smiled and kissed Beca's cheek before hurrying to meet her driver.

Later that afternoon, Chloe was have a meeting with two of her Vice Presidents when there was a commotion outside her office. She could hear her assistant, Dana, raising her voice at someone. She excused herself and went to the door and opened to see what was going on.

"Chloe!," her father said, face red from yelling. "Tell this woman that I own this company and can go wherever I damn well please."

"It's okay, Dana," Chloe said calmly. "I got this. Dad, come in."

Chloe stepped aside and ushered her father into her office. She told Dana not to allow anyone else in. Chloe closed the door and went over to her desk.

"Dad," Chloe said. "This is Steve Jeffries and Karen Allen, two of my VPs. This is my father, Richard Beale."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Beale," Steve said shaking the man's hand.

"You can both leave now," Mr. Beale said. "I need to speak with my daughter."

Steve and Karen stayed where they were.

"Did you not hear me?," Mr. Beale asked loudly. "Leave."

"They don't work for you, dad," Chloe told him. "They work for me. They only answer to me. So, say whatever it is you came here to say and leave so we can finish our meeting."

Richard Beale looked at his daughter and then at the two VPs. He was barely containing his rage.

"They should leave," Richard said. "I really don't think you want them to hear about you and your dyke girlfriend."

Chloe chuckled softly.

"My employees are well aware of my sexual preference," Chloe told him. "They are not homophobes. And if they are, they know to keep it to themselves. Now, was there anything else?"

"You don't get to talk to me like that," Richard roared and stepped toward Chloe.

Steve jumped between the two Beales and put a hand up toward Richard.

"Whoa, now, Mr. Beale," Steve said. "I think you need to step back."

Richard looked at Steve and straightened his jacket and stepped back away from Chloe. He took a deep breath and let it out.

"I came here to discuss your, _situation_ ," Richard said. "Like adults. Are you trying to bring this company to ruins? You were married to a man for God's sake. Are you suddenly bisexual?"

"First," Chloe said, "There is no "situation" to discuss. Second, this company has steadily increased its profit margin by over 300% since I took over. So, no chance of it going to ruin. And, third, I married Ray because you forced me to. I was with Beca back in college and I broke her heart because of you and that arranged marriage. But, I found her again and she took me back. And nothing and no one will keep us from being together. Especially you. I'm not bisexual, I'm gay. Get over it."

"GET OVER IT?," Richard yelled. "What the hell happened to you to make you treat me this way? I'm your father."

"You're right," Chloe said. "You are my father. Act like it. Be happy that I'm happy. Be there to walk me down the aisle, because at some point, I will be marrying Beca."

"I don't condone this," Richard said. "Your being with a woman is an abomination. I will not have my company being run by a dyke. I will go before the Board and will take this company back. You will be ousted as President and CEO."

"You keep calling it 'your' company," Chloe said with a laugh. "This not 'your' company, this is **my** company. **I** , and only I, own this company. The board was disbanded after I bought them all out. You own nothing. I am the sole owner of The Beale Company."

Chloe walks over to her desk and calls Dana on the intercom.

"Dana," Chloe said. "Please bring in the file regarding company ownership."

"Right away," Dana replied.

The two Beales stood glaring at each other. Dana brought the file and handed it to Chloe. Chloe handed the file to her father. Her father read the pages that were in the file. He threw the file at Chloe and it fell to the floor, pages drifting down around her feet. Steve and Karen stood close by, on high alert in the event Mr. Beale did something stupid.

"This is bullshit," Richard said. "How were you able to pull this off? Only the Board could disband themselves."

"I became the company woman you always wanted me to be," Chloe said. "I don't take shit from anyone. And, just like you taught me, I used money and other people's greed to buy out the Board. All they had to do was vote to disband the Board. Which everyone greedy one of the did without hesitation."

"I built this company," Richard said through clenched teeth as he stepped closer to Chloe.

"And you turned it over to me," Chloe said not backing down. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a meeting to get back to. Please leave, dad."

Richard took another step closer to Chloe. They were now practically toe to toe.

"You are not my daughter," he said, anger emanating from his words.

"Fine," Chloe said calmly. 'Please leave, _Richard_."

Suddenly, Richard slapped Chloe. Chloe's head snapped to the side and she put her hand to her face. Steve jumped and grabbed Richard Beale. Chloe looked at her father as she rubbed the spot where he hit her.

"Dana!," Chloe yelled out.

"Yes, ma'am," Dana said from the doorway.

"Call security," Chloe told the woman. "Have them come to my office immediately."

"Yes, ma'am," Dana said and hurried to do as instructed.

Richard struggled against Steve. Steve was six foot two and had the older man by about thirty-five pounds so Richard's struggles were in vain. Two security agents hurried into Chloe's office.

"Please escort this _person_ from the premises," Chloe said looking her father up and down with disgust. "And see to it that he is never allowed to enter the building again."

"Yes, ma'am," one of the security team members said.

The two security agents grabbed Richard's arms and started dragging him out of the office. Richard continued to struggle.

"This isn't over," Richard yelled at Chloe.

Richard continued to yell and struggle as he was dragged down the hall to the elevators. Chloe went back behind her desk and looked at Steve and Karen.

"Now," Chloe said. "Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"

Later that day, Chloe made her way to the recording studio to meet up with Beca, Trish and Mark for dinner. Chloe walked into Beca's office. Beca's smile dropped as soon as she saw Chloe's face.

"What the hell happened?," Beca asked looking at the bruising red mark that covered the left side of Chloe's face.

"My father happened," Chloe said flinching a little when Beca touched her cheek.

"I'll kill the son of a bitch," Beca said through clenched teeth.

"I'm okay," Chloe whispered to calm her girlfriend.

"So," Beca said. "Tell me exactly what happened,"

Beca sat down, pulling Chloe down on her lap and putting her arm around Chloe's waist. Chloe proceeded to tell Beca about her father's visit to her office.

"Wow," Beca said. "What a fucking douche."

"Yeah," Chloe said putting her head on Beca's shoulder and hugging her tight.

The sat that way for a few minutes when the door was opened.

"Hey, Beca, what time is Chloe getting-. Oh," Trish said as she walked in and saw the couple. "Chloe, what the hell happened to your face?"

Chloe went through a shortened version of the events that had transpired that afternoon.

"Wow," Trish said. "Do you want to still do dinner? We can just get some takeout and hang out."

"Let's go to mine," Chloe said. "Stacie and Aubrey can join us."

"Cool," Trish said. "Beca, why don't you take Chloe home and Mark and I will pick up something on our way?"

"Okay," Beca said. "Come on, beautiful. Let's get you home."

Beca texted Aubrey to let her know what the plans were and then took Chloe home. Chloe and Beca walked in and Aubrey immediately ran to check on Chloe. Chloe explained again what had happened between her and her father.

"Did you punch him?," Stacie asked.

"No," Chloe said with a chuckle. "I am a lady. I just had him banned from the building."

"Yeah, well, I never claimed to be a lady," Beca said. "If I ever see him, I will punch first and ask questions later. That's a promise."

Trish and Mark arrived with Italian food for everyone. Chloe had changed into sweat pants and a tee shirt and was sitting on the sofa holding an ice pack to her cheek.

"Trish told me what happened," Mark said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I knew this day would come so I'm not really surprised or too upset about it."

Dinner was done and the three couples were discussing a possible vacation together when there was a knock on the door. Chloe made a move to get up to answer it and Beca stopped her.

"I'll get it," Beca told her and went to open the door.

Beca had barely opened the door when it was pushed hard from the other side causing Beca to fall to the floor landing on her back.

"What the fuck, dude?," Beca yelled from the floor.

The others all jumped up and ran to Beca when they heard her yell out. Richard Beale stood over Beca. Mark jumped between Richard and Beca as Chloe and Stacie helped Beca up.

"Mr. Beale," Aubrey said. "I suggest you leave. I also suggest that you not bother Chloe again."

"I am still Chloe's father," Richard said. "You cannot keep me away from her and her dyke girlfriend."

Beca jumped toward Richard but was held back by Chloe and Stacie. She struggled to get away from them.

"You've already assaulted Chloe," Aubrey said calmly. "Now, you've assaulted Beca. I suggest you leave before we call the police and have you arrested."

Richard took a step toward Aubrey. Mark and Stacie both moved to protect her. Richard stopped and looked around at everyone.

"Chloe," Richard said looking at the redhead. "May I speak with you privately?"

"Fuck no," Beca yelled putting herself between Chloe and Richard.

"I've said all I have to say to you," Chloe told her father. "There's nothing left to talk about."

"I can help you," Richard said. "They've somehow brainwashed you into thinking what you are doing is normal. Come home with me. I can help fix you."

Chloe let out a sarcastic laugh. Beca glared at the man.

"I am not broken," Chloe told him. "I don't need to be fixed."

"Look, you little cu-" Richard was cut off by a fist to the nose.

Beca had fulfilled her promise. Richard Beale fell to the ground holding his nose.

"You bitch," he yelled. "You broke my nose."

"And if you don't leave right this minute," Beca said standing over him with her fists clenched. "I'm going to break more than your nose."

"What's going on here?," a police officer asked from the doorway. "We got a call about a disturbance."

Everyone looked and saw two officers standing there. The looked around at each other with furrowed brows. Trish stood there shaking her phone to let them know she had called the police.

"This man assaulted my friend, Chloe, earlier today," Aubrey told them. "He then came here and assaulted Ms. Mitchell. Ms. Mitchell punched him when he made a threatening move toward Chloe believing he was going to assault her again."

"Who is Chloe?," the officer asked looking at the group.

"I am," Chloe said stepping forward.

The officer took a look at her face. "Did he do that?," the office asked pointing to Chloe's cheek.

"Yes," Chloe said. "There were two witnesses that saw him do it."

"I'll need the names and contact info," the officer said.

"Of course," Chloe told the officer. "I wasn't going to press charges but since he came to my home, uninvited, and assaulted my girlfriend, I change my mind. I do want to press charges."

"Ms. Mitchell," the officer said looking at Beca. "I'm assuming you wish to press charges aas well?"

"That bitch broke my nose," Richard whined sitting on the floor. "I need to get to a hospital."

The second officer looked down at him and pulled out her radio.

"This is Officer Tipton," she said. "We will be transporting a patient to the hospital. Possible broken nose."

She looked down at Richard again and smirked.

"Don't worry," the officer told Richard. "You'll be taken care of as soon as we finish up here."

After getting everyone's statements, Office Tipton arrested Richard Beale on two counts of assault, and one count of criminal trespassing. She handcuffed him and took him out to her car. She and her partner thanked everyone and drove off with a bleeding and angry Richard Beale handcuffed in the back seat.

The three couples went back to the living room. Beca pulled Chloe into a hug.

"You okay?," Beca whispered.

"Yeah," Chloe said and hugged Beca tighter.

"I need a drink," Aubrey said.

"I agree," Beca said and took Chloe's hand and headed to the kitchen.

Chloe pulled out a couple of bottles of wine and Beca got the glasses. They took everything into the living room and started pouring. Everyone was sitting quietly sipping their wine.

"Brey," Chloe asked. "What will happen to my dad?"

"Well," Aubrey said. "If he pleads not guilty, there will be a trial. We will all most likely have to testify against him and he could get a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail for each count against him."

"That's it?," Beca asked astounded.

"I'm afraid so," Aubrey said. "But since the police were here we can get a restraining order placed against him for all of us. That way he can't bother any one of us to get to you or Chloe."

"I'm really sorry about this, you guys," Chloe said. "I knew he wouldn't like it when he found out about me and Beca, but I never thought he'd actually come here and confront me like this."

"You've got nothing to apologize for," Trish said. "This is all on him. Believe me I went through my share of guilt with my father until I realized that he was to blame for his actions, not me."

A few days later, Aubrey had restraining orders against Richard Beale issued for Chloe and her friends. Beca and Chloe agreed to drop the charges if Richard Beale went back to Tampa and didn't try to contact them in any way. Armed with the restraining orders, he had not choice and was on a plane that same afternoon.

Six months later and Chloe is living with Beca. Chloe gave her house to Stacie and Aubrey as an engagement present. Mark and Trish were still going strong.

"Hey, Beca," Mark said as he stepped into Beca's office. "Got a minute?"

"Sure, dude," Beca said. "Come on in."

Mark entered the office and sat across from Beca. He looked like he was about to pass out or throw up, or maybe both.

"Dude," Beca said. "Are you okay?"

"What?," Mark asked. "Yeah, um, I'm good. It's all good."

"So," Beca said. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I love Trish," Mark said. "And, I was wondering if I could ask you, you know, since her dad is in jail, if you would, maybe. Shit." He stops and takes a deep breath and let's it out. He then says, "Okay. I want to marry Trish and I want your blessing."

"Dude!," Beca squealed (although she will deny this to her grave). "That's awesome. Of course, you have my blessing. This is great. When are you going to ask her? Do you have a ring? We could go ring shopping together? Maybe have a double wedding. I'm so happy for you."

"Wait," Mark said once his brain caught up to what Beca was saying. "Ring shopping together? Double wedding? You're proposing to Chloe?!"

"Shhhh," Beca said. "Not so loud. The walls have ears. But, yes. I want to propose to Chloe."

"Beca," Mark said. "That's fantastic. Congratulations!"

"She hasn't said yes, yet," Beca said.

"She will," Mark said with a smile.

"When are you planning to ask Trish?," Beca asked.

"I don't know," Mark said. "I want to do it with you and Chloe, and Stacie and Aubrey there. You're all like her best friends."

"I want to do the same for Chloe," Beca said.

They both sit quietly thinking of ways to ask their girls the big question. Beca's phone rings and when she checks the caller ID, she smiles.

"I have an idea," Beca tells Mark as she answers the phone. "Hey, I was just going to call you. I have a favor to ask.

Two months later, everyone was at Stacie and Aubrey's rehearsal dinner. The Bellas of course were all bridesmaids and made it through the ceremony run through perfectly. Even Aubrey couldn't find fault with the first two run throughs, but she still insisted they do it two more times. Needless to say everyone was starving by they time they made it to the restaurant where they were holding the dinner part of the rehearsal dinner.

Dinner was done and Aubrey and Stacie thanked everyone for being in their wedding party. Chloe, as Aubrey's maid of honor, and Beca, Stacie's maid of honor gave a small speech as well. When Beca was finished, she said there was going to be a special performance by the Bellas.

"This isn't on our agenda," Aubrey said looking a little green.

"Don't worry, babe," Stacie whispered to her. "I told them it was okay. You're not going to want to miss this."

"I wasn't told about any Bellas performance," Chloe said looked confused.

"You're not a part of it," Beca said taking her hand.

Beca led Chloe to her seat at the table and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Beca said. "Stay right there."

Mark did the same for Trish and he and Beca joined the remaining Bellas. They got into position, and as cliche as it sounds they started singing Bruno Mars' "I Think I Want To Marry You." Mark and Beca provided lead vocals. The group danced around and Chloe and Trish both thought it was a tribute for Stacie and Aubrey.

As the song came to it's end, Beca and Mark ended up by the table with their backs to Trish and Chloe. And when Mark, and Beca sang the last line, _I think I wanna marry you,_ they both turned and dropped to one knee in front of their girlfriends, ring box in hand.

"Do you think you wanna marry me, too?," Mark and Beca both asked, breathing heavy from their dance routine.

Trish and Chloe both gasped and put their hands to their mouths.

"Yes," Trish squealed.

"Yes," Chloe squealed.

Mark and Beca both stood up and put the rings on their new fiances' fingers. They grabbed their girls in a hug and kissed them. Everyone around them started applauded and catcalling. Aubrey hugged Stacie. She was so happy for her friends.

"You were right," she whispered to Stacie. "I really didn't want to miss this."

Aubrey and Stacie ran around the table to hug Chloe and Beca and then Trish and Mark. The rest of the Bellas joined them and hugged the former Bellas as well as Mark and Trish.

"I love you," Beca told Chloe.

"I love you, too," Chloe said back.

They kissed and were lost in their own little bubble despite the congratulations and jokes that were going on around them.

* * *

 **Finally! Beca and Chloe are together and engaged. And Trish found true love. I think this is the last 'regular' chapter; the next will be an Epilogue a couple of years down the road. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the journey.**


	22. Epilogue

**7 Years Later. . .**

Beca Mitchell sat at the sound table with her headphones on trying to tweak the latest Adele song. She had been at it for several hours and was getting frustrated because she couldn't get one part to sound the way she wanted it to you. She's in the zone and just about has the sound the way she wants it when someone taps her on the shoulder. Beca jumps, nearly falling out of her chair.

"What the fuck?," she yells jerking her headphones off.

"Sorry," Trish said. "But, I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes. Aubrey's been trying to call you. Chloe's at the hospital."

"Is she okay?," Beca asks jumping up to start gathering her belongings.

"She's fine," Trish said. "Well as fine as someone in labor with triplets could be."

"Oh, my God," Beca said. "She isn't due for like 7 more weeks. Are they going to be okay?"

"Beca," Trish says grabbing her by the shoulders. "Breathe. Chloe and the babies are going to be fine. Mark and I will drive you to the hospital. I want to make sure she get there in one piece."

Just then Mark comes to the door. "You ready?," he asks.

"Yes," Trish says leading Beca out the door.

Mark hurries to the hospital and the paparazzi are already there.

"These guys are ridiculous," Beca says.

Mark lets Trish and Beca out at the door and goes to park. Beca and Trish push and shove their way to the door.

"Beca! Is Chloe is labor?"

"Beca, who's the father?"

"Beca, over here. Did you and Chloe do IVF or did she cheat on you and become pregnant?"

Beca stops and her shoulders tense. Trish grabs her and drags her the rest of the way to the door.

"They're not worth it, Beca," Trish says as she shoves Beca inside. "Chloe needs you now. Ignore them."

Beca and Trish hurry to the maternity ward and Beca is placed in scrubs. Chloe is already prepped for a C-secion and Beca rushes over to Chloe and gives her a kiss.

"Hey, mama," Beca says. "Ready to meet our children?"

"I've been ready since they told me were having triplets," Chloe says.

"I'm Dr. Monroe," the anesthesiologist tells Chloe. "We've already done the epidural. Can you feel anything, Mrs. Mitchell?"

"No," Chloe says. "My mouth is really dry though. My tongue feels like sandpaper scraping the roof of my mouth."

"I'm sorry," Dr. Monroe tells her. "But, I can't give you anything. I can wipe your mouth with a damp cloth to help ease some of the dryness."

"Thank you," Chloe says

"You'll feel some tugging," Dr. Monroe tells Chloe. "If you start feeling any pain, please let me know immediately."

Beca looks around and the room is crowded. In addition to Dr. Monroe and Dr. Taylor, Chloe's ob/gyn, there are at least 3 nurses and 3 pediatricians. She seems to remember that they were told to expect this with a C-section. They had actually had one scheduled in 3 weeks. Chloe going into labor just speeded up the process.

"Let's get started," Dr. Taylor says.

Beca stays up by Chloe's head and they are discussing baby names. They knew they were having 2 boys and 1 girl but were still undecided on the second boy's name. They had decided to use each of their initials, CAM for Chloe and RCM for Beca, to come up with their baby's names. The girl was going to be called Charlotte Aubrey Mitchell so they can call her Charlie, and the first boy was going to be Richard Charles Mitchell with plans to call him Rich. They decided to combine their initials for the second boy, and couldn't decide between Robert Adam or Ronald Alexander.

"Why don't we compromise and call him Robert Alexander," Beca said. "Since I wanted Robert and you chose Alexander."

"I like that," Chloe said and winced.

"Are you okay?," Beca asked seeing the wince.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I just felt some tugging is all."

"Here is baby #1," Dr. Taylor said handing the baby to the first pediatrician. "It's a boy."

"Richard Charles," Beca and Chloe say simultaneously and laughed.

"Go be with our baby," Chloe told Beca.

"No," Beca said. "I'll wait until all three are out and then I'll go over. Okay?"

"Okay," Chloe said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Beca said.

"Here we have baby #2," Dr. Taylor said.

"It's a boy," the second pediatrician told the new parents.

"Robert Alexander?," Beca asks Chloe.

"Robert Alexander," Chloe says.

A few minutes later and "Here's your daughter," Dr. Taylor says and hands her off to the pediatrician.

"Charlotte Aubrey Mitchell," Chloe says eyes drooping.

"Chloe?," Beca said.

"Hmmm?," Chloe says back.

"Just checking," Beca said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe says. "Just tired."

"I'm going to go check on our babies," Beca said kissing Chloe and going over to the see the babies.

The first baby she came to was Rich. She took out her phone and snapped a picture.

"Everything is great," the nurse told her. "He's 7 lbs, 3 oz and the doctor said his lungs sound good."

The second baby she came to was Robert. She took a picture of Robert.

"He's 6 lbs, 12 oz," the nurse told her. "Everything is perfect"

She finally came to Charlie. She looked at the pediatrician and she was frowning as she listened to her lungs.

"Everything okay?," Beca said quietly so Chloe couldn't hear.

"She's a little on the small side at 5 lbs, 2 oz," the nurse told her. "And her breathing is a bit shallow. The doctor doesn't think there's any cause for alarm. He just wants to get her in an incubator to watch her for a bit."

"Could I get her picture real quick?," Beca asked and the nurse nodded.

Beca took Charlie's picture and walked slowly over to Chloe.

"How are our babies?," Chloe asks

"The boys are great," Beca said. "But, Charlie's breathing a little shallow so they want to put her in an incubator for a little while to keep an eye on her. The boys will be going to the nursery and Charlie will be in the NICU."

"She's going to okay, right?," Chloe asked tears coming to her eyes.

"She's going to be great," Beca said. "They're just being cautious is all. I'll text everyone and have them come to your room and I'll go with Charlie, okay?"

"Okay," Chloe said sniffling. "Take care of our girl."

"I will," Beca said. "Oh, wait. I took their pictures so you can see what they look like. It will be a little while before you'll be able to hold them but at least you'll know what they look like."

Chloe looked at the pictures of her three babies and couldn't but let a tear or two fall. They were so beautiful.

"Thank you, baby," Chloe said.

"You're welcome," Beca told her.

"We're ready to move the babies, Mrs. Mitchell," a nurse told Beca.

"I'll see you later," Beca told Chloe kissing her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe called after her as Beca ran to catch up with Charlie.

While the nurses were setting Charlie up in the incubator, Beca called Trish. Trish put her on speaker so Stacie and Aubrey could hear the news. Beca told them about each of the babies and how Charlie was going to the NICU. She asked that they be in Chloe's room when she got there so she wouldn't be alone. She told them she'd let them know more about Charlie as soon as she could. The girls all agreed to be with Chloe and Beca went into the NICU to see her daughter.

"Hey, Charlie," Beca said. "It's your mama. Your mommy and I love you so much and we're so glad you're here. You just get your breathing up to par and everything will be even better. Your mommy and two older brothers are patiently waiting to see you. Not to mention your aunts and Uncle Mark."

It was several hours later when Beca managed to get to see Chloe. She walked in and Trish and Aubrey were holding the two boys.

"How's our girl?," Chloe asked as soon as she saw Beca.

"Why don't you ask her," Beca said as a nurse was wheeling in a bassinette with Charlie safely tucked inside.

The nurse placed the bassinette next to the other two. Beca thanked her and reached in to pick up Charlie. Beca gently held Charlie and took her over to Chloe

"Hi, baby girl," Chloe said crying. "I sure missed you."

Charlie stretched a bit and puckered her mouth. Chloe touched her hair, her hand, everywhere she could.

"She's so beautiful," Chloe whispered to Beca.

"They all are," Beca said and kissed Chloe on the top of her head.

After a few minutes, Aubrey handed Rich over to Stacie and walked over to the bed where Chloe was still holding Charlie.

"Okay, I know you gave birth to her," Aubrey said. "But I want to hold my namesake."

"I don't want to let her go," Chloe said hugging Charlie closer. "But for her godmother, I guess I will."

Aubrey's hand went to her mouth and she gasped.

"You want me to be her godmother?," she asks quietly.

"Well, actually," Beca said. "We want you and Stacie to be all three of their godmothers."

"We'd be honored," Aubrey said tears in her eyes.

Chloe hands over Charlie and Aubrey looks down at the baby girl.

"She looks a lot like you, Chloe," Aubrey says. "Reddish hair, bright blue eyes. Let's hope they stay that way."

"It's funny," Trish says. "Robert actually looks a lot like Beca. What little hair he has is a chocolate brown and his eyes are a dark blue."

"Rich kind of looks like them both," Stacie says. "His hair is a light brown with some red highlights. His eyes are blue but I don't think they'll stay that color."

"Hey, can one of you take our picture?," Beca asked. "I want to send it to all the Bellas."

"Sure," Aubrey said. "Give me your phone."

Aubrey gives Charlie back to Chloe. After Chloe settles Charlie on her left side, Stacie gently lays Rich on her right. Trish gives Robert to Beca and she leans in slightly to make sure they are all in the picture. Aubrey snaps a few shots and give Beca her phone. Beca and Chloe are looking though the pictures trying to decide which one to send when Rich starts crying and the other two follow right behind.

"What's wrong with them?," Beca asks worried.

"They're probably just hungry," Chloe said.

She rang for the nurse and she brought in three bottles. Chloe fed Charlie, Beca fed Robert, and Stacie fed Rich. After they were done, each had a diaper change and were put in their bassinette's to sleep.

"Maybe you should get some rest, too," Beca told Chloe. "We'll just go to the cafeteria and get some coffee."

"Good idea," Chloe says with a yawn. "I'll text you if they wake up and I need help."

"Love you," Beca says giving Chloe a kiss.

"Love you, too," Chloe says.

Beca, Trish, Stacie and Aubrey walked to the cafeteria. The each got coffee and a sandwich since it had been a while since any of them had eaten.

"Hey, Trish," Beca said. "Where's Mark?"

"He went to pick up Dani and Mark, Jr," Trish said. "He was going to take them home until he needed to come back for me."

"How's the adoption process going?," Beca asked Aubrey.

Aubrey and Stacie had tried IVF but it didn't take so they had decided to adopt. The adoption process was long and the paperwork was ridiculous.

"Well, we decided to hold off on adoption for a bit," Aubrey said.

"Why?," Beca said. "I thought you were looking forward to having a child running around."

"We are," Stacie said. "We really wanted tell you guys all together, but we're pregnant."

"Oh, my God," Beca said. "That's fantastic. Which one of you is pregnant?"

"We both are," Aubrey said. "We decided to go one more round with the IVF. Since Stacie hadn't conceived before we both decided to give it a go hoping that one of us would get pregnant. Turns out, it worked for both of us."

Beca hugged Aubrey and then Stacie.

"I'm so happy for you both," Beca said. "Oh, God, I'm glad I don't live with you two. I love Chloe to death but having to deal with one pregnant woman was hard, I don't even want to know what it's going to be like to have two of you pregnant at the same time."

"Oh, don't worry," Stacie said. "You and Chloe are our best friends, so you'll be around us a lot. And I mean, a lot, during our pregnancy."

"Shoot me now," Beca said.

The girls all head back to Chloe's' room. Chloe and the babies are all still asleep so the girls talk quietly for a bit.

"Trish," Stacie said. "Aubrey and I are going to leave once Chloe wakes up so we can say goodbye. We can drop you off so Mark doesn't have to drag the kids out."

"That would be great," Trish said. "I'll text him and let him know. Thanks."

Charlie starts to stir and make some noises so Beca picks her up. Beca cradles Charlie in her arms and gently rocks her back and forth. Charlie quiets down and Beca puts her back in the bassinette. When Beca looks up she sees Chloe watching her with a big smile on her face.

"You're a natural," Chloe tells her.

Beca blushes slightly and smiles back at Chloe. The girls all kiss each of the babies and hug Chloe and Beca and take their leave. Beca will be spending the night at the hospital. She and Chloe spend time just holding their babies and talking about what's going to happen once they get the babies home.

"I can do a lot of work from home," Beca said. "So, I can be there most of the time."

"I'm taking a 3 month leave from the office," Chloe said. "Steve and Karen are fully capable of running things for me. As owner, I could even give up being the President and CEO. I'd still have my hand in everything and will have to attend meetings every now and then. And, I get to stay at home to take care of our babies."

"You'd really do that?," Beca asked. "I thought you loved working."

"I did," Chloe said. "But, we have enough money to live very comfortably and I want to be a part of our children's lives. I don't want to have to deal with nannies or babysitters or day care. I want to be the one to see their first steps, hear their first words. I want to be a mother first."

"I'm all for it," Beca said. "Are you going to tell Steve and Karen that you're not coming back now or are you going to wait until the 3 months are up?"

"I think I'll tell them now," Chloe said. "I'll make Steve the CEO and Karen the President. I'll have our lawyers draw up contracts so they know I'll still be a part of the company, but mostly in name."

"I'm glad you're doing this," Beca said. "I was fully prepared to do all my work from home so I could be there every day for the kids. Now, I can still go to the studio and not feel so guilty about it."

Beca gets up and take Rich from his bassinette. She hands him to Chloe and then picks up Charlie. Robert is still sleeping so they feed the two babies and Beca changes them and lays them back in their bassinette. Robert wakes up and Beca gives him to Chloe to feed.

It was four days later when the Mitchells were allowed to go home. Aubrey and Stacie came to help transport one of the babies since Beca's car wouldn't fit all three car seats. They arrived home and went into the house to find the Bellas and friends from the studio and Chloe's office there to greet them. The babies were oohed and ahhhed over, being past around from one person to the next. Chloe enjoyed the company and time out from taking care of the babies for a bit. She loved them, but the past four days gave her a taste of what her life was going to be like for at leasts the next 18 years and she was glad for the temporary reprieve. There were all kinds of gifts for the babies and Aubrey had created a calendar for the next six months of friends who were available to help alleviate some of the stress from taking care for three babies.

Steve and Karen were there so Chloe told them of her plan to be a stay at home mom. She also told them of her wanting to promote them and would be in the office in a couple of weeks to talk to the lawyers. They were very appreciative and hugged Chloe for her generosity.

Beca was holding Charlie and rocking her back and forth. Charlie fell asleep and Beca took her to her new room and placed in her crib. The nursery was set up for all three babies so it would be easier to handle them for sleeping and changings that needed to be done.

The party finally wound down and the only ones left were Trish and Mark, their two kids, 2-year-old Dani and 4-year-old Mark, Jr., and Stacie and Aubrey. Everyone pitched in to help clean up and made quick work of the job. Chloe tried to stifle a yawn and failed.

"I guess that's our cue to leave," Trish said. "We need to get our munchkins home and in bed, too."

"Thank you all for the party," Chloe said. "I love you guys."

"Love you, too," Trish said. "Come on kids, give your aunts a kiss so we can go."

Dani and Mark, Jr., did as they were told and ran to their parents. Trish picked up Dani, and Mark grabbed Mark, Jr. and they bid everyone a good night and left. Stacie and Aubrey offered to stay the night to help out but Beca and Chloe assured them they would be fine. And they actually did well their first night at home alone with their three babies. And for most every night after. They had developed a pretty organized system that worked for them and the babies.

Three months later and it was time for Beca to return to the studio. Beca fretted and stalled all morning until Chloe literally had to kick her out of the house. Once alone with the babies, Chloe stuck to the schedule that she and Beca had instituted. Beca hurried home to find Chloe in the kitchen with the three babies sitting in their bouncy seats on the counter while Chloe prepared dinner. She was singing a Taylor Swift song to them while she stirred something on the stove. Beca took a moment and just enjoyed the scene.

This was her family. Hers. She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She had a beautiful, sexy wife. Three great kids. A great job she loved. The best friends anyone could ask for. She was truly blessed and she knew it.

She walked up behind Chloe and put her hands around her waist. Chloe jumped slightly before relaxing into the familiar arms of her wife.

"You're home early," Chloe said. "Dinner won't be ready for another 20 minutes or so."

"I couldn't stay away," Beca said. "All I kept thinking about was you and the kids."

"We had a great day," Chloe said. "I kept to our schedule and it works just as well for one of us as it does for both of us together."

"I'm glad," Beca said kissing Chloe's cheek.

She disengaged herself from Chloe and went to see the kids.

"How are you my lovelies?," Beca said looking at the three.

They just all looked at Beca and started waving and kicking their arms and legs causing their seats to bounce. They were only three months old but they were smiling and gurgling some nonsense that Beca listened to while tickling and kissing them all.

Chloe leaned against the sink and watched her wife interacting with their children. She smiled and her heart was so full. This is what life was all about. This is where she belonged and she didn't regret a minute of giving up her position in the company to be a stay at home mom. She was working just as hard and wasn't gettiing paid, but she wouldn't give up this job for the world.

"Phew," Beca said waving her hand in front of her face. "I think we have a triple threat here, mommy."

Chloe turned off the stove and moved the pan she was stirring off the heat. She took Charlie and handed her to Beca. She then handed Rich to Beca as well. She took Robert and they headed up to the nursery. Chloe put Robert in the crib and took Charlie from Beca. Beca changed Rich and Chloe changed Charlie. Chloe picked Robert up to change him, while Beca entertained Rich and Charlie. Their babies's laughter rang throughout the house, along with their mothers. This is the sound that would resonate for years to come as they navigated their way through the most rewarding job in the world, being parents.

* * *

 **There it is folks. Another story comes to an end. Happy family, happy life. Thanks for sticking around for the ride. Until next time, I love you awesome nerds.**


End file.
